Minister for Jal Shakti, Forest, Ecology, Environment and Tribal Affairs, Javed Ahmed Rana, along with Minister for Youth Services & Sports, Transport, Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs, Science & Technology, Satish Sharma, today visited the flood-affected areas of Rajouri district to assess the damage caused by the recent flash floods and review the ongoing relief, rescue and restoration operations.
MLA Thanamandi Muzaffar Iqbal Khan, MLA Rajouri Iftkhar Ahmed and other officers accompanied the Ministers during their visit. The Ministers visited the worst-affected localities, interacted with the affected families and took stock of the damage to houses, public infrastructure, drinking water supply and other essential services.
They visited Bella Colony, Darhali which witnessed flash floods following incessant rainfall, causing the Darhali, Khandli, Suktoh and Jamola streams to overflow and inundate several low-lying areas. The Darhali river has breached the flood protection wall near Bela Colony, resulting in severe flooding of the new bus stand causing extensive damage to dozens of vehicles.
Javed Rana said the flash floods have caused extensive damage to public infrastructure, including roads, water supply and power supply systems, necessitating collective and immediate action for restoration. He said several rural areas have been cut off due to the damage while irrigation schemes, flood protection bunds and residential houses have also suffered significant losses, underscoring the need for swift restoration measures and timely assistance to the affected families.
Javed Rana directed the district administration and line departments to work in close coordination to expedite restoration of essential services, particularly drinking water supply, road connectivity and other public utilities, on war footing. He stressed the need for a time-bound assessment of damage to houses, agricultural land and public infrastructure to facilitate prompt disbursal of relief and compensation.
Javed Rana also stressed the need to restore power supply expeditiously, stating that several water supply schemes have been severely affected due to the non-availability of electricity. He directed the Power Development Department to ensure the earliest possible restoration of electricity so that drinking water supply to the affected areas is resumed without delay.
Interacting with the affected people, the Ministers assured them that the government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, stands firmly with them and will extend all assistance for their relief, rehabilitation and early restoration of normalcy. "Every possible effort will be made to provide timely relief, restore essential services and ensure early rehabilitation of the affected families.
Our priority is to respond swiftly to the needs of the people, minimise their hardships and ensure that assistance reaches every deserving family without delay," Rana said. Satish Sharma said that our immediate priority is to restore the essential services, support affected families and ensure that relief and rehabilitation measures reach every deserving household promptly through coordinated efforts of all departments.
The Ministers also appealed to the public to strictly adhere to weather advisories and avoid venturing into flood-prone areas until conditions improve.