During his visit to the flood-hit Jammu region, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday stressed a joint study by the Meteorological Department and National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to decode cloudburst patterns and establish an early warning system, while also seeking a review of the Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOF) alert mechanism.
Home Minister Shah visited here and inspected the rain, flood, and landslide-affected areas of Jammu division and took stock of the damage caused by the natural calamity. The Union Home Minister also met the flood-affected people in Mangu Chak village and inspected the Tawi Bridge at Bikram Chowk, the Shiv Temple, and homes damaged by floods in Jammu.
The Union Home Minister said that since Jammu & Kashmir is prone to natural calamities, therefore, an amount of Rs 209 crores for the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) has been allocated to the UT as the Central share, due to which relief work has started.
The Union Home Minister assured the people of Jammu and Kashmir that in this hour of crisis, the Government of India is standing by their side. He reiterated that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Central Government stands firmly with the people of Jammu & Kashmir, providing prompt relief, financial assistance, and technical support to facilitate recovery and reconstruction, while ensuring the safety and well-being of affected communities.
The Union Home Minister chaired a high-level meeting to review the latest situation. The Lieutenant Governor of Jammu & Kashmir, Manoj Sinha, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, and senior officers of the Central and UT Government attended the meeting.
Shah said that in this hour of crisis, from the very first day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to the Lieutenant Governor and Chief Minister of the UT, and the Government of India has put in all its strength in the rescue efforts. HM Shah said, ”The Union Territory and all agencies together have significantly reduced potential damage, and through coordinated efforts, we have successfully saved many lives.”
He said that a critical analysis of all Early Warning Apps (EWAs), their accuracy, and their reach to the grassroots level is necessary. He emphasised that ”improving our systems through critical analysis is the only way to move toward a zero-casualty approach”.
He stressed that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) must take steps in this direction by leveraging data analytics and AI.
He also mentioned that the Food Corporation of India (FCI) should arrange for additional rations, and a decision on offline ration delivery could be made after assessing connectivity in 10 days.
Minister Amit Shah said advanced survey teams from the Ministry of Home Affairs would assess the damage, and further assistance would be provided.
He announced that a meeting of relevant departments from the Central Government and the Union Territory administration, along with the Union Home Secretary, would be held within one or two days. The Union Home Minister directed that teams from the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Union Territory government should prioritise damage assessment. He emphasised that the Health and Water Departments must proactively focus on water supply and health services. He further stressed that medical units from the Army, Central Armed Police Forces, and Air Force should also provide support.
Home Minister Shah said that the private properties of people have been damaged, and assistance under SDRF for damaged houses is being assessed and will be disbursed in the shortest possible time. He added that multiple roads have been damaged, and repair and restoration work has started. Traffic movement has started on most of the roads, and relief has also started arriving, wherever needed.
More than 80 per cent electricity supply has been restored in affected areas, people have started receiving pure drinking water, and health facilities are running smoothly.
The Union Home Minister appreciated the efforts of all the agencies and said that the UT Government carried out the successful rescue operation very quickly and efficiently.
More than 5000 people have been evacuated to safer places as a precaution. As many as 17 teams of the NDRF and 23 Army columns, helicopters from the Indian Air Force, UTDRF, J&K Police, and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) personnel are still engaged in the entire operation and helping people. Health facilities and food arrangements have been made in relief camps by the UT government, and the situation will return to normal very soon.