Fourteen persons were rescued when fire broke out in Village Upper Jakhed in Tehsil Latti of Dudu Sub-Division in which three housed were gutted and revered temple of Sheetla Mata was damaged. A team headed by SDM Dudu Sudershan Kumar and Tehsildar Latti Sushil Kumar along with SHO reached spot. No loss of life was reported. Fourteen family members of 3 families evacuated safely when fire broke out post-midnight. The houses of Ram Chand S/O Bhagtu, Suram Chand s/o Sitaram and Yog Raj S/O Sita Ram were completely damaged in the devastating fire. Temple of Sheetla Mata located in the hamlet was also damaged. The inhabitants sustained minor injuries and timely evacuation saved the lives.
Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner, Udhampur on behalf of State Government provided a relief of Rs 1 Lakh each for three families. Immediate assistance of Rs 10,000 each was provided to three families from District Red Cross Society. District Administration also rushed a rehabilitation team along with 10 tents and 20 blankets apart from essential utilities. Naib Tehsildar Dudu camped at the incident spot to coordinate relief and Rehabilitation.DC Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary has also constituted a team for assessing loss inflicted to revered temple of Sheetla Mata and formulate an immediate proposal for restoration and repair of the revered temple. BDO Jakhed has been deputed to initiate restoration of temple on fast track to facilitate visiting devotees.