Continuing amid incessant rains threatening over two dozen remaining houses
Ramban: Residents of Pernote village in the hilly district of Jammu and Kashmir Ramban are facing an uncertain future after being forced to leave their homes due to land subsidence, PTI reported.
Over 58 houses in the village developed cracks amid land sinking, which also caused significant damage to four electricity towers, a receiving station, and a section of the road connecting the Gool sub-division with the Ramban headquarters. This natural calamity has also affected hundreds of acres of agricultural land.
The ongoing land subsidence, exacerbated by incessant rains, poses a threat to over two dozen remaining houses in the village. The cause of this phenomenon is currently under investigation by geology experts.
The district administration has taken swift action by relocating over 500 people to safer places and initiating damage assessments to facilitate speedy compensation under State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) norms.
Mohd Iqbal Katoch, a local resident, recounted the sudden onset of the disaster: “We lost everything in a matter of a few hours when cracks started developing in our homes on Thursday evening. We fled to save our lives, leaving everything behind.”
Katoch, who supports a family of eight, described the panic as cracks appeared in their compound: “As I returned home from work around 5 pm on Thursday, my children informed me about a one-and-a-half feet crack developing in our compound. I immediately called my neighbor Deepak Kumar, and we shifted to safety.”
Ramban Deputy Commissioner Baseer-Ul-Haq Chaudhary, also the Chairman of the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), highlighted the evacuation efforts and ongoing investigations into the cause of the disaster. The administration is providing food, shelter, and medical aid to affected families and is committed to ensuring their rehabilitation.
The villagers emphasised the need for government support and urged the Lieutenant Governor to visit the village to assess the situation first-hand and assure them of their rehabilitation.
