Kishtwar, August 24: Senior Congress leader G. M. Saroori has expressed deep grief over the tragic drowning of two young boys, Mohd Yasir (22), son of Ismaeel, and Mohd Umer (12), son of Farooq Ahmed, both residents of Kither, Bunjwah, in the Kalnaey River.
Saroori conveyed his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for eternal peace to the departed souls, besides strength and courage to the families to bear the irreparable loss.
He said the recent flash floods have damaged several wooden bridges in the area, leaving residents, particularly children and elderly people, vulnerable to dangerous river crossings. He urged the administration to treat the matter as an emergency and immediately reconstruct all damaged bridges to restore safe connectivity.
Saroori also demanded adequate ex-gratia compensation for the bereaved families and called for immediate safety measures along vulnerable river crossings to prevent such tragic incidents in the future.
He stressed that the administration must conduct a ground assessment of all damaged bridges and take urgent steps to ensure that residents are not forced to risk their lives while crossing rivers and streams.
