Govt ‘active’, directs for contingency plan

JAMMU: The state government and a number of its ministers and official have come in ‘proactive’ mode following the bloodshed along the border, directing the civil and police officials to prepare a comprehensive contingency plan to deal with any eventuality arising out of the unabated cross-border shelling.

Minister for Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Javed Mustafa Mir and Minister for Public Health Engineering Sham Choudhary passed the directive during a visit to the border villages of R S Pura sector here and Samba district, an official spokesman said.

The ministers asked the officials not to leave the area without informing their higher-ups, the spokesman added.

The ministers, who met the affected families, including the relatives of those killed in the shelling, also asked the health and veterinary authorities to set up mobile units to provide prompt patient care to the border residents and the livestock, the spokesman said.

The ministers enquired about the problems being faced by the border residents in the wake of the continuous shelling from across the border, he added.

The people highlighted their grievances and demanded tents and identification of safer places for shelter.

Jammu Divisional Commissioner Hemant Kumar Sharma, Deputy Commissioner Rajeev Ranjan and other senior officers accompanied the ministers during their visit. Mir visited the relief camps set up by the Samba administration to accommodate the border residents displaced due to the cross-border firing and shelling.

Later in the day, Minister for Health and Medical Education Dr Devender Kumar Maniyal also toured the shelling hit border areas in Samba and interacted with affected families. The Minister also took on the spot appraisal of the medical facilities available in health centers and also received brief from the district administration regarding the measures put in place to provide necessary help to the affected people.

He was accompanied by DC Jammu, DC Samba, SSP Samba, Director Health Jammu, CMO Jammu, CMO Samba and other officials. Health Minister met the people of border areas at temporary shelter at Chichi Mata Samba, Samba Hospital, Viajpur Ashram, Vijaypur Hospital, Bishnah Hospital, Ramgarh Hospital, Arnia Health Center, R.S Pura Hospital and enquired about the condition of injured besides arrangements at temporary camps.

He directed the administration to maintain close coordination with people and provide every help in case of any emergency. He also asked them to provide 24X7 helpline numbers of the control rooms to the people.

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Samba, S Rajinder Singh Tara accompanied by a team of civil and police officers including SSP Samba, Anil Mangotra toured the border villages affected by the continuous cross border shelling.

The teams of civil and police administration evacuated people from Ban Gulard, Mava, Kulian, Regal and other border villages to safer makeshift camps.

The team led by DC also visited District Hospital Samba to enquire about the condition of villagers injured in the cross firing.