Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha recently laid the foundation stone for the construction of 530 new houses for flood-affected families in Ramban and Udhampur. Construction of the fully damaged 189 homes in Ramban and 341 homes in Udhampur will be undertaken free of cost. The cost of these new three-bedroom prefabricated `Smart Homes’ will be borne by the High-range Rural Development Society (HRDSIndia). In fact, this is yet another promise fulfilled by LG Sinha. A total of 1,500 homes will be built across Jammu and Kashmir for families affected by natural calamities and unprovoked Pakistani shelling during Operation Sindoor. Construction will be completed within six months. Specific techniques will be used to build comfortable, stronger, and more resilient pre-fabricated homes. HRDS-India will provide free life insurance coverage to all family members for the next 15years. HRDS-India will also provide free health checkups to all family members every year. The houses will include specific facilities like cowsheds. HRDS-India will also cover maintenance for the next 5 years. Massive coverage of beneficiaries who were affected during Operation Sindoor and natural calamities makes this initiative historic in scale. It is to be noted that floods wreaked havoc across Jammu and Kashmir early this summer. Roads, infrastructure, agriculture, houses, etc. suffered huge damage. This time round, Jammu suffered more than Kashmir. The floods in Jammu claimed 150 lives, and 178 others were injured. Around 33 people are still missing, with Kishtwar recording the highest casualties. More than 4,200 homes were fully damaged, and over 8,600 were partially damaged. Udhampur and Jammu were the worst hit. Livestock losses stood at 1,455, and crops over 1,300 hectares were damaged. Post-flood measures are a huge challenge and require huge funds. LG has made a beginning by starting to build houses for flood-hit people. As winter has set in, the affected families need to be rehabilitated on priority. The government needs to work on two fronts. While it could fast-track the construction, it also needs to make alternate arrangements for the affected people. Many homeless people have taken refuge at relatives’ places or constructed temporary shelters. Given the sub-zero temperature, the administration needs to reach out to the affected families. People, particularly the affected families, have high hopes with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, and Chief Minister OmarAbdullah. The government should ensure that affected families are provided with all necessary comforts this winter. The government should also take measures to avoid losses during natural disasters in the future. A team of experts should be formed to study the causes of the recurring calamities and recommend necessary measures. Unless we take the steps, we will continue to pay the price. Let us respect nature and avoid fiddling with the ecosystem.
Post-flood rehabilitation
