Tours flood-affected areas in Jammu
Jammu: The Narendra Modi government is committed to ensuring the rehabilitation of those affected by recent floods in Jammu and Kashmir, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Monday, as he undertook a whirlwind tour of a worst-hit area here.
Shah visited Manguchak village near the Jammu airport and was accompanied by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Leader of Opposition in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Sunil Sharma and other senior BJP leaders, including the party’s Jammu and Kashmir unit chief, Sat Sharma.
The home minister arrived in Jammu on Sunday night to assess the flood situation and the relief efforts.
After meeting visitors at the Raj Bhawan, Shah left for Manguchak, one of the worst-hit villages, for a first-hand account of the situation.
He interacted with the villagers and assured them of proper relief and rehabilitation, officials said.
“Today, visited Chak Mangu (Manguchak), a village affected by the recent floods in Jammu. Relief and rescue operations are being carried out in full swing by disaster response forces, along with providing assistance in medical care to the affected people. The Modi govt is committed to taking adequate measures for the rehabilitation of the affected people,” Shah said in a post on X.
Earlier, the home minister stopped on the Tawi bridge, near Bikram Chowk, and inspected the damage along the riverbanks. He was briefed by Jammu Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar and other senior officers.
“The home minister visited my house and assured me of relief…. There is nothing left in the house after last week’s deluge,” Bhan Singh, a resident of Manguchak, told PTI.
The middle-aged man said he has never witnessed such a flood in his life. “It damaged all household goods like refrigerators, air-conditioners and even clothes,” he added.
Another resident, Chain Dass, said he was lucky to survive the deluge, which submerged the entire village.
“We are happy that the home minister visited us and took stock of the situation,” he said, hoping that authorities will drain the water and take steps to ensure that such a flood never recurs.
He claimed that the village got flooded due to the construction of a circular road.
After conducting the tour, Shah returned to the Raj Bhawan and chaired three back-to-back meetings attended by Sinha, Abdullah, Sharma, Director General of Police (DGP) Nalin Prabhat and several officials of the Centre and the Union Territory administration on the floods and relief efforts.
He held another meeting that was attended by senior Army, police, paramilitary and intelligence officers, discussing the border security grid, which was also impacted by the flash floods, and the prevailing security situation, the officials said, adding that there was another meeting with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators.
More than 130 people have been killed and 33 have gone missing in cloudbursts, landslides and flash floods in Kishtwar, Kathua, Reasi and Ramban districts of Jammu and Kashmir since August 14.
The dead include 34 pilgrims who were hit by a landslide en route to the 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.
Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed an unprecedented monsoon onslaught, with Jammu logging 380 mm of rainfall in a 24-hour period ending at 8:30 am on Wednesday, the highest ever recorded in the city since 1910, when the observatory was set up.
Udhampur received the highest recorded rainfall of 630 mm for the same 24-hour period, surpassing the earlier highest of 342 mm on July 31, 2019, a spokesperson of the meteorological department said.
This is the home minister’s second visit to Jammu in three months.
Before this, he had visited the district on May 29, nearly three weeks after the armed forces carried out strikes on terror infrastructure across the border in reprisal for the April 22 Pahalgam attack, in which terrorists killed 26 people, mostly tourists.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited Jammu on August 24 to take stock of the situation following cloudburst-triggered flash floods in Kishtwar district’s Chisoti village.
Singh’s plan to visit the devastated village, on the way to the Machail Mata shrine, was scuppered by inclement weather and the blocking of a road by a fresh landslide in Paddar sub-division.
Sixty-five people, mostly pilgrims, were killed, more than 100 were injured and 32 went missing after the Chisoti flash floods on August 14. (With PTI and PIB Inputs)
Home minister reviews security situation in J&K
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday reviewed the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir and reiterated Centre’s zero-tolerance policy against terrorism.
He instructed all security agencies to remain alert and operate in a coordinated manner to eliminate terrorism in the Union territory.
The home minister was chairing a meeting at Raj Bhavan here, which was attended by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Union Home Secretary, Director IB, Chief Secretary and DGP of Jammu and Kashmir, heads of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and other senior officers, an official spokesman said.
While taking stock of the security situation, Shah appreciated the efforts of the UT administration and security agencies for the smooth conduct of the annual Amarnath Yatra. More than 4,00,000 pilgrims offered prayers at the shrine in the south Kashmir Himalayas this year.
Shah also appreciated the role played by the security forces in relief and rescue work following the recent flash floods in the UT and assured full support of the CAPFs in managing natural calamities, the spokesman said. (PTI)
Study cloudburst cause, review of warning system for glacial lake outburst floods: Shah
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday highlighted the need for studying cloudburst causes by using data analytics and artificial intelligence and conducting a critical review of the early warning system for floods due to glacial lake outbursts, as he condoled the loss of lives in the recent calamities.
Chairing a high-level meeting at the Raj Bhavan here after a whirlwind tour of the areas worst-hit by the series of disasters since August 14, he assured the people that the centre stood firmly with them, providing prompt relief and financial assistance.
At the meeting to review the latest situation, Shah appreciated the efforts of all agencies and said the Jammu and Kashmir government carried out rescue operations quickly and efficiently.
More than 80 percent of the electricity supply has been restored, and people have also started receiving pure drinking water, the Union home minister said.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, and senior officers of the Central and Jammu and Kashmir governments attended the meeting.
Shah expressed grief over the loss of lives in the recent incidents and said, “In this hour of crisis, from the very first day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to the LG and the chief minister. The Government of India has put in all its strength in the rescue efforts.”
“The Union Territory and all agencies together have significantly reduced potential damage, and through coordinated efforts, we have successfully saved many lives,” he said.
He highlighted the need for a critical analysis of all Early Warning Apps (EWAs), their accuracy, and their reach to the grassroots level. Shah emphasised that improving the systems through critical analysis is the only way to move towards achieving zero casualties.
The Union home minister also highlighted the need for a critical review of the Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) early warning system, and said the meteorological department and the National Disaster Management Authority 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 said the Ministry of Home Affairs must take steps in this direction by leveraging data analytics and artificial intelligence.
Shah also mentioned that the Food Corporation of India should arrange for additional rations, and a decision on offline ration delivery could be made after assessing connectivity in 10 days.
Advanced survey teams from the Ministry of Home Affairs would assess the damage, and further assistance would be provided, he said.
“A meeting of relevant departments from the Central government and the Union Territory administration, along with the Union home secretary, would be held in one or two days,” he said.
He stressed that teams from the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Union Territory government should prioritise damage assessment.
The health and water departments must proactively focus on water supply and health services, while the medical units from the Army, Central Armed Police Forces, and Air Force should also provide support, Shah said.
Shah underlined that Rs 209 crores for the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) has been allocated for Jammu and Kashmir as the Centre’s share since the Union territory is prone to natural calamities.
“Timely warnings by the Central government and Union Territory Disaster Management Authority (UTDMA) helped in minimising the loss of lives. National Disaster Response Force, Army, Union Territory Disaster Response Force (UTDRF), and other response teams were on alert, and helicopters were also on standby,” he said.
Shah said assistance under SDRF for damaged private houses is being assessed and will be disbursed in the shortest possible time. Multiple roads have been damaged, and repair and restoration work has started, he said.
Traffic movement has started on most of the roads, and relief has also started arriving, wherever needed, the Union minister said.
He said more than 5,000 people have been evacuated to safety as a precautionary measure. Seventeen teams of the NDRF, 23 Army columns, helicopters of the IAF, UTDRF, J&K Police and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) personnel are engaged in the entire operation, he added.
The Union home minister reiterated that under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, the Union Government stands firmly with the people of Jammu and Kashmir, providing prompt relief, financial assistance, and technical support to facilitate recovery and reconstruction. (PTI)
PM and HM will ensure all help to affected families: LG Sinha
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha Monday, said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have assured every possible effort will be made to provide immediate relief to those affected by recent floods and landslides.
Earlier today, Sinha accompanied Home Minister Shah to survey the rain and flood affected areas of Jammu.
In a statement, he said: “My heart goes out to the families of those who have lost their loved ones and those who have suffered loss of property in this massive natural calamity. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have assured that every possible effort will be made to provide immediate relief to the families, restoration of buildings, roads and other infrastructure and all the help will be extended to affected families to reconstruct their lives.
“Army, Air Force, NDRF, NHAI, CAPFs, SDRF, J&K Police and UT administration have deployed all possible resources for rescue and relief efforts and are providing aid and assistance to those who have been evacuated to safe locations. Due to unusual climatic occurrences, district-level officers to remain alert and keep watch on the situation round the clock. I urge people to take all precautions and stay in a safe place,” Sinha said in a statement.
