Navy chief to visit Kashmir on Oct 15

Srinagar, Oct 12 (UNI) Navy Chief Admiral Arun Prakash will lay the foundation stone of a 15-bed paediatric ward near the existing district hospital at Handwara in north Kashmir's Kupwara district on October 15, a defence spokesman said today.

The ward would be constructed by the Navy in memory of 22 children and two staff members of the Burning Candle School, Handwara drowned in a boat capsize during a picnic in Wullar Lake on May 30 this year.

The ward would be constructed at a cost of Rs 1.50 crore.

The spokesman said the Navy at the first instance had expressed grief and sorrow over the incident and provided an interim relief of Rs one lakh each to the families of the deceased.

''In an effort to perpetuate the memory of the deceased, the Navy after interaction with the state authorities, prominent citizens of Handwara and the parents of the deceased children, decided to set up the much-needed pediatric ward as an annex to the district hospital at Handwara,'' he added.

The spokesman said this would not only keep the memory of the dead children alive but also help in providing immediate medical attention to the needy.

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