Home Minister Shah Reaches Jammu to Review Flood Situation

SRINAGAR: Union Home Minister Amit Shah reached Jammu on Sunday evening to assess the situation in the aftermath of heavy rain and flash floods in Jammu and Kashmir.

According to details, Shah landed at Jammu Airport and was received by Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, among others. He then headed to Raj Bhawan, officials said.

Shah is scheduled to chair a high-level meeting at Raj Bhawan on Monday to review relief measures, they said.

He is also likely to conduct an aerial survey of the flood-hit areas, including Katra, where 34 pilgrims died and 20 were injured when a landslide hit the old route to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine on August 26, and the cloudburst-hit Chisoti village in Kishtwar.

Earlier, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah stated that Shah is visiting Jammu and Kashmir to assess the damage caused by flash floods triggered by cloudbursts and record rainfall earlier this week.

“The Home Minister is solely coming here to assess the situation in the aftermath of the heavy rains and flash floods and look at our requirement from the Centre (to cope with the crisis). He has no other purpose, and he is not coming for security or development review,” the Chief Minister said. (KNO)