Kishtwar cloudburst : J&K Congress Chief demands special central package for victims

Jammu, Aug 18: Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president Tariq Hameed Karra, along with senior party leaders, convened a meeting with party activists at the DCC office in Kishtwar on Monday. The discussion focused on the current situation and organisational activities in the area.The meeting, organised by DCC President Asif Naqeeb, was attended by JKPCC Working President Raman Bhalla, former minister G.M. Saroori, Senior Leader Sheikh Haider, Former MLCs Naresh Gupta, Sham Lal Bhagat, Pyare Lal Shan, and Contesting Candidate Zaffarullah. The meeting primarily addressed relief and rescue measures following the devastating cloudburst at Chasoti (Kishtwar). Participants deliberated on ongoing activities and the overall response to the disaster.Karra urged the central government to step forward with a special relief and rehabilitation package to assist the affected population. “Given the scale of devastation and casualties, the Centre should provide extraordinary help for swift relief and recovery efforts,” he said.Working President Bhalla expressed his heartfelt sympathies and support for the victims. He called for declaring the disaster a national calamity to ensure full financial backing and aid for the affected communities.Senior leaders Sanjeev Panda, Neeraj Gupta, Jatin Vashisht, Naveed Kichloo, and others also participated.Later, Karra and Bhalla interacted with local leaders from Ramban district at Batote to discuss the prevailing situation. The meeting was attended by leaders, including Ex-MLA Ashok Kumar, DCC President Janak Singh, Rashid Malik, Chuni Lal Goswami, Balvinder Singh, Dr. Devender Singh, Fazal Mohd., Azar Hussain, Mohd Rafi, Jagjeet Singh, Darshan Chand, Arshad Mir, Mohd. Arshad Naik, Yassir Bhati, and Sharaz Mir.The local leaders provided ground feedback and suggested measures to strengthen the party at the grassroots level. The leadership advised party workers to maintain close contact with the public, especially in light of the inclement weather forecast, and to monitor the situation over the coming days.The J&K Congress chief directed the cadres to prepare for an intensified statehood movement after the upcoming days and to coordinate efforts in support of the ongoing struggle led by Rahul Gandhi against electoral “irregularities and illegalities”.