Nearly 100 structures develop cracks in J&K's Poonch, over 700 people shifted to shelters | Video

Nearly 100 structures, mostly houses, have developed cracks due to land subsidence following rainfall in Kalaban village in Mendhar sub-division of Poonch district, Jammu and Kashmir.

Due to the cracks, about 700 residents have been shifted to shelters, ANI reported.

#WATCH | J&K: About 700 people in Kalaban village in Mendhar sub-division of Poonch district are affected as 95 residential structures develop cracks due to land subsidence following rainfall. The residents have been shifted to shelters. pic.twitter.com/ii7cBG9NTi

— ANI (@ANI) September 13, 2025

J-K minister Javed Ahmad Rana visited the affected Kalaban village in his Mendhar constituency and assured adequate relief and rehabilitation of the affected population.

"This is my ancestral village which is facing this land sinking for the past couple of days...the problem of land sinking was reported from different parts of Poonch, Rajouri and Kashmir in the recent past, apparently due to excessive rainfall," Rana, who holds the portfolios of Jal Shakti, Forest, Ecology and Environment, and Tribal Affairs, told reporters during his visit to the village.

Three school buildings, a mosque, a graveyard and the road leading to the village were also damaged by the land sinking which is still going on, causing panic among the local residents, the officials said, PTI reported.

"Half of the village's population, some 700 souls, are affected by the land sinking. I have passed instructions, on behalf of the government, to the local administration for temporary settlement of the affected population and immediate relief in accordance with the norms. Directions have also been passed for submitting a proposal for their permanent settlement," the minister said.

Rashid Chohan, one of the victims, made a passionate appeal for government help, saying the land sinking had rendered them homeless.

"We have built concrete houses worth crores but they got destroyed," he said, praising the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel who were deployed in the village to help evacuate the people from the damaged houses, PTI reported.

He assured the affected population of adequate compensation for their losses.

A similar situation was also reported in the Tanger area of J&K's Ramban district, where several houses have developed cracks. The administration has declared the area unsafe and advised residents to evacuate temporarily, ANI reported.

(With inputs from agencies)