Heavy rain pounds Jammu

TOrrential overnight rainfall beat-up Jammu, inundating depression prevarication areas, prejudicious several houses, roadstead, electricity poles, and a vital bridge over Sahar Khad in Kathua district on Jammu-Pathankot national highway on Sunday morning, officials privy to the matter said.Till 8.30am on Sunday, Jammu district recorded a 24-hour rainfall of 190.4 mm. Katra recorded 115.4mm rainfall and Kathua 90 mm. Kashmir valley, meanwhile, received light to moderate rains.As the Sahar Khad river flowed in spate due to incessant rain, a pillar beneath a bridge over it on NH-44 was damaged. A police officer said, “After some time the bridge also slanted. Traffic movement was diverted to the adjoining bridge and then diverted to a safer route.”Additionally, land near a temple on the banks of River Tawi also caved in. In Lower Roop Nagar area, around 50 houses were inundated and damaged, and a road was washed away, officials said.The girls’ hostel of Indian Institute of Integrated Medicines (IIM) at Canal Road in Jammu city was inundated. “Ground floor of the hostel was submerged...compelling the students to take refuge on higher floors...Later, SDRF personnel used boats and rescued 45 students,” said a police officer, adding that the rescue operation continued for over five hours.Kishtwar-Padder road near Pathernaki, 32 kms from Kishtwar district, witnessed a landslide. “Efforts are on to clear the landslide as several high ranking officials were in Padder,” the officer cited above said.Candidates appearing for junior engineer (electrical) exams conducted by J&K Staff Selection Board face difficulties in reaching their centres due to rain and landslides.SSP Traffic Jammu Qaiser Farooq said, “We immediately arranged for transhipment and further transportation of candidates appearing for JE (Electrical) examination being conducted by J&K SSRB in traffic police’s own or locally arranged vehicles.”In view of the weather conditions, the Directorate of School Education Jammu ordered the closure of all government and private schools in the Jammu Division on Monday.The India Meteorological Department forecast heavy to very heavy rains at few places of Jammu, Reasi, Udhampur, Samba, Kathua and Rajouri till Tuesday, and moderate to heavy showers over Poonch, Ramban, Doda and Kishtwar and Southern parts of Kashmir. The Met department also forecast the possibility of cloud burst, flash floods at a few vulnerable places.Omar puts all departments on high alertJammu and Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah on Sunday directed all departments concerned to remain on high alert as heavy rains lashed wide parts of the Union territory, and official spokesperson said, adding that he stressed on close inter-departmental coordination to ensure fully functional and responsive control rooms.“The CM’s office is in constant touch with the line departments to monitor the situation,” the official said.