CM Omar expresses grief over loss of lives, briefs PM Modi

Jammu, Aug 27: In the aftermath of heavy monsoon rains and flood situation in Jammu, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday conducted an extensive tour of Jammu City to assess damages and oversee immediate relief measures.

CM Omar visited the flood-affected areas in Jammu to take stock of the damage caused by the floods.

He assessed the ground situation and issued directions to the administration to take all necessary steps to safeguard the lives of people in vulnerable areas.

During his visit, the CM inspected the 4th Tawi Bridge at Bhagwati Nagar, Science College at Old Campus University, Hari Singh Park near Hotel Fortune Riviera, and flood hit areas of Gujjar Nagar, Jammu.

CM Omar said that the damaged end portion of the Fourth Tawi Bridge required immediate technical evaluation, recalling that the structure had suffered damage during the 2014 floods as well.

He underlined the need for preventive measures to avert similar risks in the future.

On the issue of damaged houses, the CM said rehabilitation must be planned in a holistic manner to ensure affected families receive adequate support.

He directed officials to identify urgent on-ground challenges and resolve them on priority.

CM Omar also informed that he had briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the flood situation, who assured full support from the Centre.

He apprised the PM about the areas worst hit due to floods in several areas of Jammu along the banks of the Tawi River.

The CM expressed satisfaction with the assurance given by the PM and thanked him for promising continued assistance to the people of J&K in the wake of floods.

Expressing grief over the recent landslide in Katra, which claimed the lives of yatris, he noted that preventive measures should have been implemented beforehand to stop the yatris from proceeding on the route and holding them at safe locations in view of advance warnings about the severity of  the weather.

He resented the loss of precious lives and conveyed condolences and regrets over the tragic loss of lives.

CM Omar also gave directions to the BSNL and private telecom operators Jio Network and Airtel to immediately restore internet and telecom services in J&K, which had disrupted working and communication in J&K, stressing that the functioning of the communication network was all the more important during times of crises and emergencies.

He also directed that all immediate steps be taken for restoring traffic on the Srinagar-Jammu National highway and Jammu-Pathankot Highway so that stranded vehicles are cleared and traffic is restored on priority.

The CM gave directions to line departments to work on a war footing for the restoration of electricity, water supply, and road access in all affected areas.

He said that a comprehensive relief package for J&K would soon be formulated in the coming days.

Later, during his field visit, CM Omar inspected several flood-affected areas and interacted with residents, assessed damages, and directed officials to expedite relief, ensure temporary arrangements, and restore essential services without delay.

CM CHAIRS HIGH-LEVEL MEETING ON RELIEF, RESTORATION MEASURES IN JAMMU

The CM 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, he 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, CM Omar reviewed the damages caused by incessant rains across J&K and assessed preventive and welfare measures in view of the prevailing weather situation.

Appreciating the role of the Jammu district administration, he said that 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,” the CM said.

He directed that an immediate assessment of damages be undertaken so that a financial package could be pursued with the Centre.

“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,” CM Omar said.

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,” the CM said.

Taking note of power outages and disruptions in water supply, he 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,” CM Omar said.

The meeting also heard suggestions from MLAs, which the CM assured would be considered during the relief and restoration phase. Divisional Commissioners of Kashmir and Jammu provinces briefed CM Omar on measures taken during the rains and floods, while Deputy Commissioners reported on district-level actions.

He also reviewed the status of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway.

The CM 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.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary; Minister for Health and Medical Education, School Education and Higher Education Sakina Itoo; Minister for Jal Shakti, Forest, Ecology and Environment and Tribal Affairs Javed Ahmed Rana; Minister for Agriculture Production, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Javid Ahmad Dar and Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Satish Sharma and Adviser to the Chief Minister Nasir Aslam Wani.

Advisor to the CM, Nasir Aslam Wani, also joined the deliberations on relief coordination.

Minister Javed Ahmed Rana apprised CM Omar of the preparedness of his department in mitigating flood-like situations and in planning relief and restoration, particularly in the Jammu division.

The CM 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.

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.

MLAs from Jammu district and MLA Bani, Rameshwar Singh, were present to apprise the CM 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 Devansh Yadav, and other senior officers of the administration also participated.

CM ANNOUNCES EX-GRATIA FOR VICTIMS OF LANDSLIDES, FLOODS

CM Omar also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 6 lakh for the next of kin of those who lost their lives in the tragic landslide at Katra near Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, Rs 4 lakh from the State Disaster Relief Fund, and Rs 2 lakh per deceased person from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.

He also announced relief for victims of other flood-related incidents reported across Jammu and Kashmir over the past two days, with compensation from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and Rs 2 lakh from the CM’s Relief Fund.

The CM also announced Rs 1 lakh for each person who sustained severe injuries and Rs 25,000 to 50,000 for those who suffered minor injuries in these incidents.

To ensure timely response and assistance, he directed the advance placement of Rs 10 crore with each Deputy Commissioners in Kashmir and Jammu of affected districts.

The funds will be utilised to meet the immediate requirements of relief, rehabilitation, and restoration in the affected areas.

CM Omar expressed solidarity with the bereaved families and assured that all possible support would be extended by the government to the victims of these natural calamities.

He also questioned the decision of the SMVDSB, under the control of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, to allow the yatra to continue despite warnings of heavy downpour.

Speaking to reporters, the CM criticised the apathetic approach of the authorities.

“We will have to talk about it later. When we knew about the weather, should we not have taken certain steps to save those lives?” he said. “The weather warning had come to us a few days ago.”

CM Omar asked: “Why were these people on the track? Why were they not stopped? Why were they not moved to a safe place? This has to be discussed later. We feel sorrow over the loss of precious lives.”

He was accompanied by Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Transport, Satish Sharma.

Additional Chief Secretary to CM Dheeraj Gupta, Divisional Commissioner Jammu Ramesh Kumar, Inspector General of Police Jammu Zone Bhim Sen Tuti, Deputy Commissioner Jammu Rakesh Minhas, Additional Deputy Commissioner Ansuya Jamwal, and other district officers were also present.

Earlier, Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar and Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Minhas briefed the CM on ongoing rescue operations, functioning of temporary shelters, supply logistics, and inter-departmental coordination.