news details |
|
|
| Unprecedented windstorm causes havoc in Valley | | |  early times report
Srinagar, Mar 20: The unprecedented windstorm in the Valley Tuesday caused widespread devastation killing one person and injuring 17 others even as more reports of damage to public and private property continued to come in till late in the night.
A spokesperson of the divisional commissioner's office said one person was killed in Kachnambal village of Ganderbal district while 17 others sustained injuries due to uprooted trees, rooftop collapses and other related incidents.
The spokesperson said 29 residential houses were completely destroyed in the windstorm that started yesterday evening and continued throughout the day today.
"8852 buildings have been partially damaged in the windstorm including 2166 residential houses, ten houseboats, six government buildings, scores of shops, and other structures", the spokesperson said.
Dozens of tourists were rescued by the police from the various houseboats in the Dal Lake which rocked dangerously throughout the night and the day because of high speed wind causes turbulence in the waters.
Due to uprooted trees inter district road connectivity was badly affected in Baramulla, Bandipora, Anantnag, Pulwama, Shopian, Kulgam and Shopian districts.
Scores of Chinar and Poplar trees were uprooted by the strong winds those blew at a speed of 60 kilometers per hour.
In Srinagar city maximum damage to private and public property has occurred in the Lal Bazaar locality.
The administration closed all private and public schools across the Valley today, but thousands of college and university students faced confusion as the administrative order announcing the closure of schools did not include colleges and universities in the Valley.
Later in the day the authorities in Kashmir University suspended classes.
Electricity throughout the Valley remained suspended as electric distribution systems suffered massive damage because of uprooted electric poles, transmission lines and transformers.
Mohammad Muzaffar Mattu, chief engineer (Electric maintenance Kashmir) told reporters, "Electric supply to essential services including hospitals, water filtration plants were restored in the morning.
"Our distribution systems have suffered massive damage in various districts. We have moved out all our staff on restoration work which will take some time to be fully restored".
The district level administrative offices have been converted into emergency control rooms and telephone numbers have been flashed on radio and local television asking people to approach these control rooms for help in case of emergencies.
The offices of district development commissioners in the Valley have been converted into emergency control rooms. All officials have been ordered to remain available at their places of postings and not to leave their headquarters till the situation returns to normal.
The local disaster management cell has said the weather is likely to return to normal by tomorrow morning.
Meanwhile, state chief minister, Omar Abdullah who reached here early Tuesday morning took a high level meeting of officials in Srinagar city asking the administration to remain in maximum preparedness to meet the challenge posed by the windstorm.
Omar also went round his north Kashmir Ganderbal assembly constituency to make on the spot assessment of the damage caused by the windstorm.
He promised all possible help to people whose properties have been damaged in the disaster.
The administration has also appealed the people to remain vigilant against rumour mongers who have been spreading false rumours about an impending windstorm in the Valley on March 30. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
STOCK UPDATE |
|
|
 |
| BSE
Sensex |
 |
| NSE
Nifty |
|
|
| |
CRICKET UPDATE |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
