Yogesh
Jammu, Sep 1: Reiterating that the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi stands firmly with the flood hit people of Jammu and Kashmir, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday assured that Centre would provide prompt relief, financial assistance, and technical support to facilitate recovery and reconstruction, and will ensure the safety and well-being of the sufferers.
The Union Home Minister arrived in Jammu on late Sunday evening to assess the damage caused by the floods in the region.
After conducting a whirlwind tour of the flood affected areas the Union Home Minister chaired a high level meeting on relief measures at Raj Bhawan here.
“Chaired a meeting to review the recent flood situation in Jammu. Instructed the water supply and health departments to exert full might in fulfilling the healthcare needs that may emerge after the floods. The Modi government will continue to provide swift relief and financial and technological support,” Shah wrote on X.
The meeting was attended by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Leader of Opposition in Assembly Sunil Sharma and senior civil, police, paramilitary and army officers, among others, officials said.
They said Home Minister Shah accompanied by LG Sinha, CM Omar Abdullah and Sharma visited the Tawi Bridge near the Bikram Chowk and Manguchak near the Jammu Airport and took a first-hand account of the damage caused by the floods.
In the morning the Home Minister, according to the officials, conducted an aerial survey of the flood-hit areas across the Jammu region.
The survey covered severely affected areas, including Katra, the base camp for the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine and Kishtwar, where a catastrophic cloudburst on August 14 triggered flash floods in Chashoti village, claiming 65 lives, mostly pilgrims, and injuring over 100 others.
The aerial assessment provided the Home Minister with a firsthand view of the widespread destruction caused by record rainfall, landslides, and flash floods, particularly in Kishtwar, Kathua, Reasi, and Ramban districts, the officials said.
During the meeting the Union Home Minister expressed grief over the loss of lives in the recent incidents. “In this hour of crisis, from the very first day, PM Modi has spoken to the Lieutenant Governor and Chief Minister of the UT and the Government of India has put in all its strength in the rescue efforts,” he said, adding, “The Union Territory and all agencies together have significantly reduced potential damage, and through coordinated efforts, we have successfully saved many lives. In this hour of crisis, the Government of India is standing by the side of J&K people.”
The Union Home Minister appreciated the efforts of all the agencies and said that the UT Government carried out the successful rescue operation very quickly and efficiently. More than 5000 people have been evacuated to safer places as a precaution. “Seventeen teams of the NDRF and 23 Army columns, helicopters from Indian Air Force, UTDRF, J&K Police and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) personnel are still engaged in the entire operation and helping people. Health facilities and food arrangements have been made in relief camps by the UT government and the situation will return to normal very soon,” he added.
Shah said that a critical analysis of all Early Warning Apps (EWAs), their accuracy, and their reach to the grassroots level is necessary.
He emphasized that improving our systems through critical analysis is the only way to move toward a zero-casualty approach. He highlighted the need for a critical review of the GLOF Early Warning System.
The Union Home Minister said that the Meteorological Department and NDMA should jointly study the relationship between the tendencies leading to cloudbursts and moisture content in clouds, identify causes, and establish an early warning system.
He stressed that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) must take steps in this direction by leveraging data analytics and AI.
Shah also mentioned that the Food Corporation of India (FCI) should arrange for additional rations, and a decision on offline ration delivery could be made after assessing connectivity in 10 days.
He said that, advanced survey teams from the Ministry of Home Affairs would assess the damage, and further assistance would be provided.
He announced that a meeting of relevant departments from the Central Government and the Union Territory administration, along with the Union Home Secretary, would be held within 1-2 days.
The Union Home Minister directed that teams from the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Union Territory government should prioritize damage assessment. He emphasized that the Health and Water Departments must proactively focus on water supply and health services.
He stressed that medical units from the Army, Central Armed Police Forces, and Air Force should also provide support.
The Union Home Minister said that since Jammu & Kashmir is prone to natural calamities, therefore, an amount of Rs. 209 crores for State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) are allocated to the UT as Centre share, due to which relief work has started.
He said that timely warnings by the Central Government and Union Territory Disaster Management Authority (UTDMA) helped in minimizing the loss of lives. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Army, Union Territory Disaster Response Force (UTDRF), Other Response Teams, all were on alert and helicopters were also standby. “We had also informed everyone about the mobilization of the Army and the NDRF,” the Home Minister said.
Shah said that private property of people has been damaged and assistance under SDRF for damaged houses is being assessed and will be disbursed in shortest possible time.
He added that multiple roads have been damaged and repair & restoration work has started. Traffic movement has started on most of the roads and relief has also started arriving, wherever needed.
More than 80 percent electricity supply has been restored in affected areas, people have started receiving pure drinking water and health facilities are running smoothly.
Infrastructure of critical sectors has been affected and its temporary restoration is underway at war footing. The damages are being assessed by the UT government and all possible assistance will be provided.
It may be recalled that more than 130 people were killed and 33 have gone missing in cloudbursts, landslides and flash floods in Kishtwar, Kathua, Reasi and Ramban districts since August 14.
The dead include 34 pilgrims who were hit by a landslide en route to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine on August 26. Record rainfall on August 26-27 caused flash floods in low-lying areas in Jammu and other plains, causing heavy damage to infrastructure.
