Jammu: Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary today said that the government is considering allotment of 5 marla land plots to the eligible families hit by flash floods at village Bagra in Kathua district on the intervening night of 16th and 17th August 2025.
The Deputy Chief Minister was replying on behalf of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to a question raised by Legislator Dr. Bharat Bushan in the Legislative Assembly today.
He said that as per SDRF norms, a compensation of Rs. 4 lakh each was released in favour of the Next of Kin (NOK) of the deceased and an additional Rs. 2 lakh each was also released through the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. He added that the Chairman, Red Cross Society Kathua (Deputy Commissioner Kathua) also released Rs. 50,000 compensation each to the NOKs of the deceased.
The Deputy Chief Minister said that heavy flash floods triggered by flash rains and landslides occurred in several areas of Village Bagra, which resulted in the unfortunate loss of two persons and damage to various private and public properties.
He informed the House that seven houses fully damaged during the flash floods were duly compensated as per SDRF guidelines. He added that temporary restoration measures have been taken by the district administration while the line departments are taking further necessary action for permanent restoration. He said that during this period, the affected families were shifted to safe lodgement centres, where all basic amenities like food, water, medicines and blankets were provided to them.
The Deputy CM added that the link road in Bagra has been damaged to a length of 1.20 km and some temporarily restored stretches will be fully reinstated by August 2026.
He said that during the recent spell of heavy rainfall/flash floods, certain low-lying areas of Kathua Town were affected, resulting in damage to residential houses and property, particularly in areas located near natural drainage channels and Kathua Khad. He said that due to sudden heavy discharge of rainwater, Kathua Khad experienced overflow at several vulnerable locations, causing erosion of embankments.
He added that the proposal of channelisation and protection work in Sahar Khad has been duly incorporated in the DPRs titled “Construction of flood protection works on Sahar Khad/Maggar Khad/Sukhal Khad and other tributaries of river Ravi” under NABARD, with a total estimated cost of Rs. 1500.71 lakh.
He said that the DPR is presently under process with the Jal Shakti Department for obtaining the requisite approval.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary inaugurated ODOP Fest, Buyer Seller Meet, organised by the Jammu & Kashmir Trade Promotion Organisation (JKTPO) under the One District One Product (ODOP) and Districts as Export Hubs (DEH) initiatives at the Convention Centre, Jammu.
The event is being held under the theme and tagline “Connecting District Treasures to National Markets.”
The event aims to promote the unique ODOP products of Jammu and Kashmir and provide a strong national-level platform to the local producers, artisans and enterprises to connect directly with buyers from across India.
The inauguration ceremony was also attended by the senior officers from the Industries & Commerce Department and other officials.
Addressing the gathering, the Deputy Chief Minister underscored the importance of the ODOP initiative in promoting district-specific products, strengthening grassroots entrepreneurship and creating sustainable livelihood opportunities.
He emphasized that platforms such as the ODOP Fest play a vital role in connecting the local producers with wider markets, enhancing exports and positioning Jammu and Kashmir’s unique products in national and global value chains.
Addressing the participants, Sudershan Kumar, Managing Director, JKTPO, stated that the ODOP Fest has been conceptualised as a flagship trade promotion platform aimed at connecting the district treasures to national markets by facilitating structured buyer–seller interactions, promoting branding of ODOP products and creating sustainable domestic and export market linkages.
The ODOP Fest features 20 district-specific stalls showcasing notified ODOP and DEH products, structured Buyer–Seller (B2B) meetings, participation of around 25 national buyers from various states across the country, including New Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Bangalore and Chandigarh. The initiative was aimed at strengthening the market access and business opportunities for ODOP sellers of the region and a Retail and Consumer (B2C) zone, providing direct sales and market exposure opportunities.
The event also included awareness sessions on export and various government schemes, aimed at improving the export awareness and readiness among local producers.
The event aimed to enhance visibility, branding and sales of ODOP and DEH products, establish long-term buyer and export linkages and further strengthen Jammu and Kashmir’s position as a competitive sourcing destination for high-quality, district-specific products, in alignment with the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat and Vocal for Local.
The Managing Director, JKTPO, informed that the next ODOP Buyer Seller Meet has been proposed to be held in March 2026 in the Kashmir region.
