Do not rush back, cooperate with government, Azad to affected people

Srinagar, Aug 14 (UNI) Appealing to people to cooperate with the administration, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad asked them not to pay any heed to rumours spread by vested interests about the fallout of the Khundroo incident saying these only add to the problems of the affected people.

It was not possible at this hour to say what had happened inside the ammunition depot and until the situation eased and experts were able to go inside, any talk about the quantum of damage the incident caused to property or human life was only a speculation, he said in a television interview here last night.

"We will have to wait for the inspection teams to visit inside the area and report the extent of the damage," he said.

Mr Azad appealed to the people not to pay any attention to rumours that might be spread by vested interests who thrive on unfortunate situations.

Rumours only add to the inconvenience of the people, especially the affected population, he said and urged the people to cooperate with the administration in its efforts to provide relief to the villagers affected by the unfortunate incident.

The Chief Minister asked the people of the affected villages who have been evacuated to safer places, not to rush back to their homes till the area was cleared of unexploded ammunition.

He said joint teams of army, police and civil administration have been set up to survey the villages for unexploded ammunition which would be subsequently defused by experts. He said people should not touch any suspicious object which they might notice as doing so could endanger their lives.

Mr Azad said the government had launched a campaign through print and electronic media and using loudspeakers asking people to report to the administration the presence of any suspicious object.

He said despite this a lady was killed and three others injured on August 12 when she touched an unexploded shell.

He said in a similar incident a child was seriously injured.

He appealed to the people not to put their lives in danger.

The Chief Minister said that adequate arrangements for food, shelter, drinking water and medicines have been made for the affected people.

He said free langars have been set up at several places and teams of senior officers were camping in the area to supervise the arrangements.

UNI