Over 50 houses developed cracks amid sinking of land in J&K's Ramban district

Land sinking near Ramban town of Jammu and Kashmir has wreaked havoc in many areas as more than 50 homes and crucial power infrastructure were badly damaged

The landslide started on Friday at Parnote village of Ramban district and is going on silently in the hilly region of this area which witnessed brisk developmental works including the widening of the road network and tunneling to connect Kashmir with the rail network.

"The landslide began yesterday evening some 5 km away from Ramban. The roads have been damaged. Around 30-40 houses in the nearby areas are also affected. We have deployed teams and they are conducting surveys. We have evacuated those who have lost their homes", Assistant District Development Commissioner (ADDC) Ramban Roshan Lal told media person.

Reports said that the landslide destroyed four electricity towers, and a receiving station, and significant damage to the main Ramban-Sangaldan-Gool road.

Responding swiftly to the crisis, Deputy Commissioner Ramban, Baseer-ul-Haq Choudhary, personally visited the affected Pernote village, approximately five kilometers from the district headquarters, this morning. He assured support to affected families and committed to restoring essential services, particularly electricity, without delay.

Cracks developed in over 50 houses

The sinking land triggered the development of cracks in homes and severed road connectivity between Gool and Ramban. Consequently, numerous families were compelled to seek refuge in safer locations.

Acknowledging the severity of the situation, Deputy Commissioner Choudhary assumed full responsibility for providing shelter and sustenance to those affected. He, accompanied by District Development Council Chairperson Shamshad Shan and ADC V S Charak, assured the deployment of Geological Survey experts to ascertain the cause of the land sinking.

With continuous efforts underway, district officials are tirelessly overseeing rehabilitation efforts and the restoration of essential services. Tehsildar Ramban Deep Kumar and his team have been on-site since the onset of the incident, working relentlessly to address the crisis.

To address immediate needs, the administration is prioritizing the restoration of essential services and road connectivity. Additionally, relief measures under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) are being expedited to aid affected families.

Nearly 60,000 population cut off from district headquarters

Due to the sinking of the nearly five-kilometer stretch on the Ramban-Gool road, over 60,000 population have been cut off from the district headquarters.

"It is a very important stretch connecting nearly 60,000 population. We are trying our best to restore traffic on this road", the ADDC said.

While no casualties have been reported, over 50 houses have sustained varying degrees of damage. Local volunteers, alongside law enforcement agencies and disaster response teams, are assisting in relocating affected individuals and salvaging belongings from damaged homes.

An alternate route via Sumber-Digdol has been activated to facilitate connectivity between the Gool Sub-Divison and the district headquarters.

Officer Commanding in General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF) SK Gautam said, "Since yesterday evening, small cracks have been developing in the roads. A road of length 1000-1200 meters is impacted. The slide is going on continuously. The road has subsided 10-12 meters in some places. The restoration has not yet started because the movement is still going on".