JAMMU: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said that the continuous rainfall had created a flood-like situation of devastating proportions, despite prior forecasts.
Stressing that his government’s immediate priorities were rescue, relief and restoration, the Chief Minister emphasised that strict deadlines must be set to ensure accountability and transparency in the government’s response.
Chairing a high-level meeting at the Civil Secretariat in Jammu, the Chief Minister reviewed the damages caused by incessant rains across Jammu and Kashmir and assessed preventive and welfare measures in view of the prevailing weather situation.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary; Minister for Health & Medical Education, School Education & Higher Education Sakina Itoo; Minister for Jal Shakti, Forest, Ecology & Environment and Tribal Affairs Javed Ahmed Rana; Minister for Agriculture Production, Rural Development & Panchayati Raj Javid Ahmad Dar and Minister for Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Satish Sharma and Adviser to the Chief Minister Nasir Aslam Wani.
MLAs from Jammu district and MLA Bani, Dr Rameshwar Singh, were present to apprise the Chief Minister of damages in their constituencies.
Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, Additional Chief Secretary Jal Shakti Shaleen Kabra, Additional Chief Secretary to the CM Dheeraj Gupta, IGP Jammu Bhim Sen Tuti, all Deputy Commissioners, Commissioner Jammu Municipal Corporation Dr. Devansh Yadav, and other senior officers of the administration also participated.
Appreciating the role of the Jammu district administration, Omar Abdullah said the rescue of people had been carried out effectively in many affected areas. “Relief delivery is our next mission. We have to make arrangements for those whose houses have been damaged. It is our responsibility to look after them until they are settled,” he stressed.
The Chief Minister directed that an immediate assessment of damages be undertaken so that a financial package could be pursued with the Government of India. “We must ensure nobody remains hungry and that there is no outbreak of water-borne diseases. Debris removal and deployment of men and machinery will be our immediate focus,” he added.
He underlined the importance of setting practical and time-bound targets for public services. “We have to be honest and give realistic hopes. The people must be presented with a practical picture,” he said.
Taking note of power outages and disruptions in water supply, the Chief Minister directed temporary arrangements and augmentation of water supply through tankers wherever required. “Restoration of water and power supply is our supreme priority. Silt removal from canals and nallahs must be ensured to avoid further aggravation or recurrence of backflow of rainwater,” he instructed.
The meeting also heard suggestions from MLAs, which the Chief Minister assured would be considered during the relief and restoration phase. Divisional Commissioners of Jammu and Kashmir provinces briefed the CM on measures taken during the rains and floods, while Deputy Commissioners reported on district-level actions.
Minister Javed Ahmed Rana apprised the Chief Minister of the preparedness of his department in mitigating flood-like situations and in planning relief and restoration, particularly in Jammu division. The Chief Minister directed the minister to ensure restoration of damaged water supply schemes in Jammu and to expedite desilting of canals and nallahs before resumption of water flow.
Advisor to the CM, Nasir Aslam Wani, also joined the deliberations on relief coordination.
Special directions were issued to the Divisional Commissioner Kashmir to implement preventive measures against any flood-like situation in Srinagar city. Deputy Commissioners of the Kashmir division were instructed to maintain preparedness for any further adverse weather conditions.
The Chief Minister also reviewed the status of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway. He directed that in case the highway did not open in the coming days, essential supplies to the Valley must be ensured through the Mughal Road.
