Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday visited several flood-affected areas of Jammu, met victims, and assured them of full support for relief and rehabilitation.
Shah, who arrived in Jammu on Sunday night, was accompanied by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, and Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma.
He visited Mangu Chak village near Jammu Airport and Tawi Bridge at Bikram Chowk to personally assess the devastation caused by last week’s record rainfall and flash floods.
At Mangu Chak, villagers narrated their ordeal. “There is nothing left in my house after the deluge,” said Bhan Singh, adding that even basic household items like fridges and clothes were washed away. Another resident, Chain Dass, said he was lucky to survive as floodwaters submerged the entire village. “We are happy the Home Minister visited us and saw our suffering. We only hope such a disaster never happens again,” he said.
News agency KINS reported that after the field visit, Shah chaired a high-level review meeting at Raj Bhavan with top civil, police, paramilitary, and army officials, where ongoing rescue and relief measures were discussed. He instructed the administration to ensure timely assistance to the affected families and restoration of damaged infrastructure.
Officials said Shah will also review the impact of floods on the border security grid.
Since August 14, more than 130 people have died and 33 remain missing due to cloudbursts, landslides, and flash floods across Jammu and Kashmir. The dead include 34 pilgrims who lost their lives in a landslide on the Vaishno Devi route on August 26.(KINS)
