Village Level Teams to assess damages in shelling affected areas of Poonch

Poonch : Deputy Commissioner Poonch Vikas Kundal on Thursday chaired a meeting with district officers to formulate a coordinated strategy for the assessment and verification of damages caused due to recent cross border shelling in the district. The meeting discussed the constitution of Village Level Committees (VLCs) for carrying out detailed, on ground assessment of affected structures across the border villages.
The meeting was attended in person by Additional District Development Commissioner (ADDC), Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC), Assistant Commissioner Revenue (ACR), Tehsildar Haveli, and Headquarters Tehsildar. Sub Divisional Magistrates of Surankote and Mendhar, along with Tehsildars of Mandi, Mankote, Surankote and Balakote, joined the session virtually, ensuring representation from all affected areas and administrative subdivisions.
The Deputy Commissioner laid out the plan for constituting village level assessment teams that will include officials from the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (RD&PR) Department, the Revenue Department, Animal and Sheep Husbandry, the Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department, Public works department and Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).
These committees will visit the affected locations to verify and document the extent of damage to structures caused by the shelling. The damage will be classified into three categories, full damage, severe damage, and partial damage based on the physical condition of each structure. Moreover, the damages would be categorized as private property, commercial and government owned, thereby ensuring a comprehensive profile of all losses sustained.
The Deputy Commissioner Poonch emphasized the need for a swift and transparent verification process to ensure timely assistance and rehabilitation of affected families. He directed all concerned departments to provide full cooperation to the committees and ensure accurate documentation, supported by photographic and written evidence. The administration will review the progress of this initiative in the coming days, with follow-up meetings scheduled to address emerging challenges and expedite the response efforts.