J&K: NC, Srinagar MP Ruhullah at odds over abrogation of Article 370
Under the chairmanship of party president Farooq Abdullah, an NC working committee meeting was held last week during which seven resolutions — including restoration of special status and immediate restoration of statehood — were passed.
Ruhullah attended the CWC meeting, but left midway. Sources said that Ruhullah, who was displeased by the party's policies under the Omar Abdullah government, had stressed on restoration of Article 370 during the meeting.
'Our focus should not be restoration of statehood but restoration of Article 370,' Ruhullah is said to have told the meeting.
He reportedly said that the party was defeating the reason for which it got the mandate.
'We need to be on the wrong side of the power, and on the right side of the people.'
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NDTV
4 hours ago
- NDTV
J&K Cloudburst: Explosives Used To Blast Giant Boulders To Speed Up Rescue Efforts
Kishtwar: Explosives were used to blast giant boulders hampering the ongoing rescue and relief operations in the disaster-hit Chisoti village in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district on the third day on Saturday, officials said. Army has also deployed additional troops to intensify the efforts, they said. A total of 60 persons, including three CISF personnel and a Special Police Officer, have died and 82 people were reported missing in the cloudburst and the resultant flash floods that struck the remote village in Padder sub-division on Thursday afternoon. Around 167 people have been rescued so far, some critically injured. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah visited Chisoti village on Saturday morning and announced an ex-gratia assistance from the chief minister's relief fund to the affected families as a "measure of solidarity and immediate relief". He also assured them long-term support. Union Minister Jitendra Singh, accompanied by Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat, also visited the devastated village late on Friday night and reviewed the ongoing rescue and relief efforts jointly carried out by the Police, Army, National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, Border Roads Organisation, civil administration, and local volunteers. So far, 50 bodies have been identified and handed over to their next of kin after completion of legal formalities. The disaster struck Chisoti -- the last motorable village en route to the Machail Mata temple -- at around 12.25 pm on August 14. It flattened a makeshift market, a langar (community kitchen) site prepared for the yatra, and a security outpost. At least 16 residential houses and government buildings, three temples, four water mills, a 30-metre-long bridge, and over a dozen vehicles were damaged in the flash floods which dumped giant boulders at various spots, especially around the worst-hit langar site. Racing against time since the chances of digging out the survivors alive fade with every passing hour, the rescuers expedited the operation in the evening by using explosive substances to blast the oversized boulders that could not be shifted with earth-movers or other equipment. Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, General Officer Commanding of Army's Delta Force Major General A P S Bal, and CISF Deputy Inspector General M K Yadav also visited the village, while Jammu Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar, Jammu Inspector General of Police Bhim Sen Tuti, Kishtwar Deputy Commissioner Pankaj Kumar Sharma and Kishtwar Senior Superintendent of Police Naresh Singh are camping in the area to supervise the operation. The annual Machail Mata yatra, which began on July 25 and was scheduled to conclude on September 5, remained suspended for the third consecutive day on Saturday. The 8.5-kilometre trek to the 9,500-foot-high shrine starts from Chisoti, located about 90 kilometres from Kishtwar town. Rescue efforts were intensified with the deployment of nearly a dozen earth-movers by the civil administration and the use of specialised equipment and dog squads by the National Disaster Relief Force. The chief minister, after taking first-hand stock of the devastation, announced that the families of those who lost their lives would receive financial support of Rs 2 lakh each, while those who sustained severe injuries would be given Rs 1 lakh and those with minor injuries Rs 50,000. For structural damages, he announced Rs 1 lakh for fully damaged houses, Rs 50,000 for severely damaged ones, and Rs 25,000 for partially damaged structures. The chief minister also met the bereaved families of the deceased and those affected by the tragedy. He prayed for the departed souls, and assured people that his government will extend not only immediate assistance but also long-term rehabilitation to help them rebuild their lives. Several people in Chisoti village welcomed Abdullah's visit and expressed hope that he will personally oversee their rehabilitation. "We feel relieved after the visit of the chief minister, who went door-to-door to meet victims' families and heard our genuine demands," said Rangeel Singh, a local resident. Singh also expressed disappointment over the Union minister, who visited at "the dead of the night and returned without listening to us". "We are hopeful that the chief minister will fulfil all our genuine demands, including compensation for the loss, relocation to safer places, and jobs to the next of kin of those killed in the calamity," he added.
The Hindu
7 hours ago
- The Hindu
Need to consult experts for risk mitigation, says Jammu & Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah pointing to recent calamities in Himalayas
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday (August 16, 2025) expressed concern over the recent natural calamities in the Union Territory, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand and called for consultation with experts to see what can be done to "mitigate the risks and dangers." Talking to reporters near Chisoti on his return to this cloudburst-hit remote village in Kishtwar district, he said the entire Himalayan belt is now more prone to glacial lake bursts and cloudbursts. He was responding to a question about possibility of forming a team of experts by his government to safeguard the fragile ecosystem in Jammu and Kashmir. Himachal Pradesh bears the brunt of monsoon as cloudbursts, flash floods create havoc 'We are going to have a look at it. It is not just what is happening in Jammu & Kashmir. Look at the scary videos that we saw from Uttarakhand. What is happening in Himachal? We are all now, I think, prone to these glacial lake bursts and cloudbursts. To this freak vague weather, we will have to collectively and individually consult experts to see what we can do to mitigate the risks and the dangers of these things,' Mr. Abdullah said. Around 60 persons were killed and more than 100 others injured when a massive cloudburst triggered flash floods hit Chisoti, the last motorable village en route to the Machail Mata temple in Kishtwar district, on Thursday afternoon (August 14, 2025). More than 80 persons are also reported missing by their family members following the cloudburst. Asked whether his government will regulate pilgrimages in the mountainous regions, he said that earlier these yatras were restricted to small groups of pilgrims ranging between 100 and 400 but now thousands of people are visiting. 'Obviously, after seeing the changing patterns of the weather, we will have to think about a little more regulation, registration, etc. But if I make an announcement today, then it will be a mistake on my part because people's religious emotions are also involved in this," he said. 'We have to consult the religious leader, the people who are associated with these local pilgrimages, and take some steps,' Mr. Abdullah said. He said though around 80 persons were reported missing in the flash floods triggered by cloudburst, it is not the final number. 'Some people might have no mobile coverage or stopped halfway due to the circumstances (cloudburst). So do not take it (missing figures) as the final number. It will keep changing from time to time,' the CM said. He said the flash floods brought down big rocks and 'where we are standing used to be a river (bank). This was not a lake. It is a river, which has changed into a lake after the recent cloudburst. Some people washed away by the flash flood cannot be ruled out and our efforts are to find them and retrieve their bodies so that these could be handed over to their families."
Hindustan Times
7 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Need to consult experts for risk mitigation: J&K CM in Kishtwar
Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday expressed concern over the recent natural calamities in the Union Territory, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand and called for consultation with experts to see what can be done to 'mitigate the risks and dangers'. Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah during his visit to Chisoti village in Kishtwar district on Saturday after a flash flood triggered by cloudburst led to damage and devastation. (PTI Photo) Talking to reporters near Chasoti on his return to this cloudburst-hit remote village in Kishtwar district, he said the entire Himalayan belt is now more prone to glacial lake bursts and cloudbursts. He was responding to a question about the possibility of forming a team of experts by his government to safeguard the fragile ecosystem in Jammu and Kashmir. 'We are going to have a look at it. It is not just what is happening in J&K. Look at the scary videos that we saw from Uttarakhand. What is happening in Himachal? We are all now, I think, prone to these glacial lake bursts and cloudbursts. To deal with this freak weather, we will have to collectively and individually consult experts to see what we can do to mitigate the risks and the dangers of these things,' Abdullah said. Chief minister Omar Abdullah using a virtual reality headset while being briefed about the destruction due to the flash flood in Kishtwar. (PTI Photo) Around 60 people were killed and over 100 injured when a massive cloudburst triggered flash floods at Chasoti, the last motorable village en route to the Machail Mata temple in Kishtwar district, on Thursday afternoon. Over 80 people are reported missing by their family members following the cloudburst. Asked whether his government will regulate pilgrimages in the mountainous regions, he said that earlier these yatras were restricted to small groups of pilgrims ranging between 100 and 400 but now thousands of people are visiting. 'Obviously, after seeing the changing patterns of the weather, we will have to think about a little more regulation, registration, etc. But if I make an announcement today, then it will be a mistake on my part because people's religious emotions are also involved in this,' he said. 'We have to consult the religious leader, the people who are associated with these local pilgrimages, and take some steps,' Abdullah said. He said though around 80 people were reported missing in the flash floods triggered by cloudburst, it is not the final number. 'Some people might have no mobile coverage or stopped halfway due to the circumstances (cloudburst). So do not take it (missing figures) as the final number. It will keep changing from time to time,' the CM said. He said the flash floods brought down big rocks and 'where we are standing used to be a river (bank). This was not a lake. It is a river, which has changed into a lake after the recent cloudburst. Some people washed away by the flash flood cannot be ruled out and our efforts are to find them and retrieve their bodies so that these could be handed over to their families.' Chief minister Omar Abdullah with officials at Chasoti village, 90km from Kishtwar town, on Monday. (PTI Photo) Local residents confront CM The anger of people seeking information about their kin missing in the aftermath of a cloudburst is quite understandable, Abdullah said after several residents confronted him in Chasoti and vented their frustration. He said the focus of the rescue operation right now is to find those still trapped under the debris.A coordinated operation is underway in the village where 80 people have been reported missing by their families, even as locals and witnesses claim that hundreds may have been swept away by the flash flood and buried under boulders, logs, and rubble. After being briefed by a senior army officer, the chief minister met affected families on both sides of the stream, connected by a makeshift bridge made of logs. The chief minister invited them to a nearby tent to listen to their grievances, but some of them were reluctant. Following this, Abdullah left the scene. 'I can understand their anger. They have been waiting for their missing family members for the past two days. They want an answer. They want to know if their family members will come out alive or not,' he told reporters on his return journey. The chief minister said the demand of the people is that if those missing are no longer alive, then the bodies should be handed over to them at the earliest for the last rites. All-out rescue efforts underway 'We have deployed as many forces as we could, whether it is the NDRF, SDRF, Army, Jammu and Kashmir police or the CISF. We are trying to rescue the trapped people. And where there is no rescue, we will at least retrieve the bodies and hand them over to their families,' Abdullah said. Tragedy struck Chasoti around 12:25 pm on August 14, flattening a makeshift market, a community kitchen site for the pilgrimage, and a security outpost. At least 16 houses and government buildings, three temples, four water mills, a 30-metre-long bridge, and over a dozen vehicles were also damaged in the flash flood. The annual Machail Mata Yatra, which began on July 25 and was scheduled to conclude on September 5, remained suspended for the third consecutive day on Saturday. The 8.5-km trek to the 9,500-foot-high shrine starts from Chasoti, around 90km from Kishtwar town.
