Jammu/Srinagar: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday informed the Legislative Assembly that five glacial lakes in the Kashmir Himalaya have been identified as having “very high susceptibility” to glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), while also announcing progress on power subsidies, government liabilities and relief measures for calamity victims.
Replying to a question by National Conference legislator Tanvir Sadiq, Abdullah said a recent study by the University of Kashmir assessed 155 glacial lakes and identified Bramsar, Chirsar, Nundkol, Gangabal and Bhagsar as falling in the “very high susceptibility” category.
He said the preliminary geospatial analysis mapped downstream exposure of glacial lakes in districts including Ganderbal, Shopian and Kulgam and found that nearly 2,704 buildings, around 15 major bridges, several road stretches and at least one hydropower project could be affected in the event of a glacial lake outburst flood.
However, the Chief Minister clarified that the classification does not imply an immediate threat, but indicates a higher likelihood of an outburst under specific triggering conditions.
He said the government was prioritising continuous monitoring of vulnerable lakes through remote sensing and field assessments and would integrate GLOF scenarios into district-level disaster management plans. Early-warning systems and eco-zonation plans for downstream areas are also being developed.
Abdullah said the University of Kashmir has procured a high-precision RTK-enabled robotic echo-sounding boat with support from the Ministry of Earth Sciences and that bathymetric surveys of at-risk glacial lakes in the western Himalaya are planned for 2026 to improve risk assessment.
In another reply, the Chief Minister, who also holds the Power portfolio, informed the House that Rs 3.80 crore has so far been disbursed as Union Territory subsidy to 4,288 beneficiaries under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana.
He said Rs 1.80 crore has been released in favour of 2,053 consumers under the Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited (KPDCL), while Rs 2 crore has been disbursed among 2,235 beneficiaries of the Jammu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (JPDCL).
Abdullah said that under the PM Surya Ghar scheme, the Centre provides financial assistance of Rs 33,000 per kilowatt for the first 2 kW of rooftop solar installation and Rs 19,800 per kW for the next 1 kW, taking the maximum Central subsidy to Rs 85,800 for a 3 kW system.
He said the Union Territory government additionally provides Rs 3,000 per kW, taking the total subsidy up to Rs 94,800 for a 3 kW rooftop solar system.
The Chief Minister said delays in the release of the UT subsidy, wherever applicable, are mainly due to verification of installations, scrutiny of documents and integration through the national portal. He assured the House that pending subsidy claims would be released after completion of the formalities.
Replying to another question, Abdullah said the government has been clearing its financial liabilities on a regular basis and has paid more than Rs 18,382 crore during the financial year 2025-26.
He said the amount includes Rs 7,800.58 crore towards contractor bills, Rs 5,821.43 crore under General Provident Fund claims, Rs 2,864.14 crore as gratuity, Rs 1,123.22 crore for commutation and Rs 773.47 crore towards leave salary.
According to the Chief Minister, most of these bills have been cleared up to March 27, while GPF claims have been settled up to December 31, 2025.
On relief measures for disaster-hit families, Abdullah informed the House that the government has amended Constituency Development Fund (CDF) guidelines to allow MLAs to allocate up to Rs 50 lakh from their CDF for reconstruction and repair of houses damaged in calamities, including fire incidents, during 2026-27.
He said assistance to an individual family would be capped at Rs 1 lakh and would be available to all affected families, not only those belonging to tribal or Below Poverty Line categories.
Referring to Srinagar district, Abdullah said 24 cases had been received from Habba Kadal MLA Shamima Firdous seeking assistance for fire victims involving an estimated cost of Rs 12.80 lakh. Of these, five cases have been approved, while the remaining are under examination.
