Baramulla: About one hundred earthquake-affected families who have been battling the freezing cold in the Limber Wildlife Sanctuary of Baramulla district in Jammu and Kashmir received tents, sleeping bags and ground sheets as survival kits from Tenam Shastri of Palpung Munishasari Darma Chakra Sangh (PMDCS) on 14th and 15th December. 

This generous donation was provided by the PMDCS based in Himachal Pradesh, in collaboration with the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and the Forest Department of J & K.

At a function held in the wildlife range office of Baramulla, villagers from Babe Gale, Bodrali, Limber, Manyan and Lachipora villages came to receive the relief materials.

According to Riyaz Ahmed, Field Officer WTI, “as we know the region well from our conservation activities in the state, PMDCS has entrusted us with the work.

“A hundred each of these items has been sent to the Baramulla range office for distribution,” Dr. Sandeep Tiwari, Sr. Programme Officer WTI adds.

The October 8 earthquake affected some five hundred families in the remote Limber WLS.  As an interim measure, the J & K government provided to each affected family Rs. 30,000/- and Rs. 1 lakh for the construction of houses to those completely grounded by the quake.

These villages are located in the remote areas of the district and the relief materials that were supplied to them by the J & K government have not been adequate. Hostile weather conditions and difficult terrain compounded the problem of distribution.

The sanctuary is home to a large variety of mammals and birds. The endangered markhor, well known for its corkscrew horn brought fame to the sanctuary. WTI in the recent past conducted markhor surveys in the Limber WLS as part of the conservation efforts of the species in the state.

Pix credit: WTI