JAMMU, Aug 18: The Jammu and Kashmir administration has deployed eight senior IAS and IPS officers to supervise relief and rescue operations in Chisoti village of Kishtwar district, where a massive cloudburst on August 14 left 62 people dead, 116 injured, and 82 others missing.
Chisoti, the last motorable village on the route to the revered Machail Mata shrine, was ravaged by flash floods triggered by the cloudburst. Among the missing are 81 pilgrims and a CISF personnel, officials said.
According to an order issued by Commissioner-Secretary to the Government, M Raju, two senior officers—one IAS and one IPS—will be stationed in the hamlet for two days each over the next eight days to coordinate ongoing relief efforts.
As per the roster, Principal Secretary Home Chandraker Bharti and Inspector General of Police (Operations & Services) Uttam Chand will supervise operations on August 19–20. Principal Secretary Anil Kumar Singh and IGP Sujit Kumar will take over on August 21–22, followed by Financial Commissioner Shaleen Kabra and IGP Suleman Chaudhary on August 23–24. Secretary Shahid Iqbal Choudhary and IGP Vivek Gupta will be in charge on August 25–26.
Rescue teams, battling persistent rainfall, continued operations on Monday for the fifth straight day. Wearing raincoats, teams of NDRF, SDRF, police, and Army personnel dug through debris, while earthmovers and sniffer dogs were deployed at key impact sites, including near a community kitchen that was swept away in the deluge.
The annual Machail Mata yatra, which began on July 25 and was scheduled to conclude on September 5, remains suspended for the fifth day. The 8.5-km trek to the shrine, located at an altitude of 9,500 feet, starts from Chisoti, about 90 km from Kishtwar town.
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