10 senior IAS, IPS officers deployed to oversee rescue work in cloudburst-hit Chisoti

Jammu: The Lieutenant Governoror administration on Monday deployed 10 senior IAS and IPS officers to supervise relief and rescue operations in the cloudburst-hit Chisoti village of Kishtwar district that left 62 people dead. On August 14, flash floods triggered by the cloudburst 14 in Chisoti — the last motorable village en route to the Machail Mata temple — also left at least 116 people injured. Eighty-two people — 81 pilgrims and one CISF personnel — are reported missing. "In order to supervise relief and rescue operations in response to the recent tragic cloudburst, the officers, as per the roster, are hereby deputed to Chisoti in district Kishtwar," read an order issued by Commissioner-Secretary to the Government M Raju. The officers will be deployed in the hamlet for the next eight days, with one IAS and one IPS officer overseeing operations for two days each.

Principal Secretary Home, Chandraker Bharti, and Inspector General of Police (Operations & Services) Uttam Chand will supervise operations on August 19 and 20, followed by Principal Secretary Anil Kumar Singh and IGP Sujit Kumar on August 21 and 22. Financial Commissioner and Additional Chief Secretary Shaleen Kabra and IGP Suleman Chaudhary will be deployed on August 23 and 24, followed by Secretary Shahid Iqbal Choudhary and IGP Vivek Gupta on August 25 and 26. Rescue operation continued amid rain on Monday, the fifth day since the tragedy, to trace those buried under debris in the remote village. Wearing raincoats, the rescue teams were seen working at multiple locations, especially at the major impact spot near a langar (community kitchen) site. Earthmovers were at work to clear the rubble as police dogs sniffed for signs of life. The annual Machail Mata yatra, which began on July 25 and was scheduled to conclude on September 5, remained suspended for the fifth consecutive day. The 8.5-km trek to the 9,500-foot-high shrine starts from Chishoti, about 90 km from Kishtwar town.