Fire incidents have risen across J&K: CM Omar

Srinagar, March 05: The J&K government informed the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday that fire incidents have increased across the UT. However, the administration denied claims that the relief provided to fire victims was inadequate.
The response came in reply to a starred question tabled by National Conference General Secretary and MLA Khanyar, Ali Mohammad Sagar, who sought details on the surge in fire incidents, the adequacy of relief compensation and whether the government planned to enhance financial assistance for victims.
Addressing the concerns, the government confirmed that there has indeed been a surge in fire incidents across the UT of J&K. However, when asked whether the relief paid to fire victims is insufficient, the government rejected the claim, stating that the assistance provided is adequate.
“The assistance scale for victims of fire incidents is in accordance with the revised items and norms of assistance from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), as issued by the Disaster Management Division, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, under endorsement No. 33-03/2020-NDM-I dated July 11, 2023,” it said.
Regarding the potential review and enhancement of the existing relief scale, the government stated that the assistance scale is based on the revised norms and is periodically reviewed every five years to ensure it aligns with the guidelines set by the Ministry of Home Affairs. According to the government, the current relief scale remains sufficient for fire victims based on the established criteria.
“The review of the relief scale is carried out as per the guidelines provided by the Disaster Management Division. There are no immediate plans to revise or enhance the compensation, as the existing norms are in line with national standards,” the government said in its statement.