Jammu 19th August :- Dogra Sadar Sabha (DSS) held an emergent meeting of its executive body and deliberated on various matters of immediate concern. Th. Gulchain Singh Charak convened the meeting on return from his 18 days long visit to the United Kingdom.
The participants offered their condolences on the twin back to back cloudburst tragedies in Paddar areas of Kishtwar and Kathua Distts etc. of Jammu Division. DSS urged the J&K Government for best possible care of the injured victims, rehabilitation of those who lost their houses , properties as also adequate compensation to the families who lost their family members with engagement of a family member where the dead were the bread earners. The members held a two minutes silence and prayed for all the victims who lost their lives in the brazen tragedy.
The Former Minister of J&K Government also reminded the Government that certain areas in Jammu Division have become highly prone to landslides after the cutting of hills for the new road alignments. He reiterated the outstanding request of the DSS to engage and appoint an expert body on the lines of Uttrakhand to survey the fragile hill sides along the new road alignments and identify areas like Ramban etc. where cases of frequent landslides and sinking of hill soil is reported. There may be a requirement to shift and rehabilitate some more villages. The experts may also suggest some remedial measures of soil preservation, retention walls, and vigorous reforestation on war footing. This must be done on priority before a major tragedy happens as the situation is like a ticking time bomb and the monsoons are heavy and uncertain as a global phenomenon. Th Gulchain Singh Charak also used this opportunity to brief the DSS Executive Committee about his visit to the British Parliament and his meeting with Seema Malhotra, Minister for the Legal Migration in the UK. He also held several meetings with the Dogra Community and associations in the UK and emphasized the need for further interaction and solidarity among Dogras settled abroad. He also proposed an a meeting of all prominent Dogras representing different political, Social, religious and traders’ organizations at the Dogra Bhawan later this month to exchange views and plan for various problems being faced by the local population, especially in border areas and those living on the banks of seasonal water flow bodies and Khuds prone to flash floods. A new well-equipped expert body for disaster management has to be strengthened and upgraded.
Details on various issues will be shared after the all-party meet through the media and taken up with the government. Among other important members in the meeting were Gambhir Dev Singh, G A Khwaja, Abdul Majid, Arvinder Singh Amn, Afaq U Kazmi, Brig MS Jamwal, Col Dr. Virendra K Sahi VrC, Dr. Nasib Singh Manhas, Amanat Ali Shah Mohd. Shabir, Narinder Singh Jamwal, Rashid Ahmed, Salman Khan,, Ravi Singh Slathia, Majeed Ali, Mohd Ashraf Mughal, M Naseem Malik and others
