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Srinagar: One person
was killed and 17 others were injured as violent winds wreaked
havoc in the Kashmir Valley Tuesday leaving thousands of people
without power supply amid smashed rooftops, uprooted trees,
snapped electric lines and toppled poles, prompting the government
to sound high alert.
A state government spokesperson said the windstorm which started
Monday night and continued Tuesday without respite claimed its
first victim in north Kashmir Ganderbal district when 50-year-old
Muhammad Maqbool Magray died on the spot after a Chinar tree fell
on his house crushing him under it.
Seventeen more people were injured in different parts of the
valley due to uprooted trees, rooftop collapses and other
windswept incidents, the spokesperson said.
He said 29 residential houses were completely destroyed.
"At least 8,852 buildings including 2,166 residential houses, 10
houseboats, six government offices, scores of shops, cowsheds and
other structures have been partially damaged," the spokesperson
said.
As fears run high amid street rumours that it was a prelude to "qayamat"
or the end of the world, old timers said they had never seen
anything like this in the Kashmir Valley, nestled between lofty
Himalayas and the Pir Panjal range of mountains.
"This is never seen before... Not as long as I remember. People
may be right fearing that it may be the end of the world. The
judgement day may be near," Mohammed Abdullah Sofi, a Srinagar
resident in his late eighties, told IANS when asked if he had seen
such a strong windstorm hitting the valley.
But the government officials said they expected weather conditions
to improve by Wednesday.
"We are expecting the weather to improve from tomorrow (Wednesday)
morning," Aamir Ali, officer on special duty at the government's
divisional headquarters, told IANS.
Most people in the valley preferred to remain indoors as strong
winds reaching upto 60 km per hour speed left roadways strewn with
debris.
Police said three tourists had a miraculous escape when a pine
tree collapsed on a tourism department hut in south Kashmir
Pahalgam hill station. The tourists were safely rescued.
People in Srinagar's Lal Bazaar and New Theed areas, located
across the banks of Dal Lake and where the damage was the worst,
maintained states of emergency amid specially called prayers in
mosques.
Dozens of houseboats on the Dal Lake were also damaged and police
rescued over two dozen tourists from inside the lake.
Scores of poplar trees lining the roads and highways were uprooted
snapping inter-district road connectivity in south and north
Kashmir areas.
Muhammad Muzaffar Mattu, top power department official told IANS
that "massive damage" has been caused to electric poles,
transmission lines and transformers.
"Although our power import supply lines are intact, restoration of
the damaged transmission systems will take some time. We have
moved everybody out on restoration work."
Authorities ordered closure of all public and private schools in
the valley.
Kashmir University authorities decided to suspend classes after a
tall, centuries old chinar tree collapsed inside the Chinar Bagh
complex of the varsity.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah flew from Jammu to Srinagar in the
morning to make on the spot assessment of the damage caused by the
windstorm.
Fear was palpable here as wild rumours went round the valley.
Unfounded rumours said an even stronger windstorm would lash the
valley March 30.
The divisional administration has dispelled these rumours and
asked people not to pay heed to them.
All the government district headquarters have been converted into
emergency control rooms to meet any eventuality.
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