Amit Shah tours flood-affected areas in Jammu, promises swift relief

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday toured the flood-affected areas of Jammu to assess the damage caused by the natural calamity. Shah arrived in Jammu on Sunday night and began his day with a review of the relief and rescue operations already underway.

Accompanied by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, and Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma, Shah undertook a comprehensive tour of the worst-hit areas, according to officials.

After meeting visitors at Raj Bhawan in the morning, Shah visited Manguchak (Chak Mangu), one of the villages most severely impacted by the floods. There, he interacted with local residents and assured them of relief and rehabilitation.

“…Relief and rescue operations are being carried out in full swing by disaster response forces, along with providing assistance in medical care to the affected people. The Modi govt is committed to taking adequate measures for the rehabilitation of the affected people,” Shah said in a post on X.

Earlier in the day, Shah also stopped at the Tawi Bridge near Bikram Chowk to inspect the damage along the riverbanks. He was briefed on the situation by Jammu Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar and other senior officials.

Following the on-ground assessment, Shah returned to Raj Bhawan, where he chaired three consecutive high-level meetings. These were attended by LG Manoj Sinha, CM Omar Abdullah, Sunil Sharma, Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat, and senior officials from the central and Union Territory administrations. The meetings focused on the flood situation, ongoing relief efforts and infrastructure damage.

Another review meeting was held with senior Army, police, paramilitary, and intelligence officials, where Shah discussed the status of the border security grid, which had also been affected by the flashfloods. Later, he met with BJP legislators to discuss political coordination during the crisis.

Shah announced that an advanced survey team from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) would soon arrive to assess the damage in detail, and assured that further assistance would be provided based on the findings. He also said that a joint meeting of key departments from the central government and the UT administration, chaired by the Union Home Secretary, would take place within the next 1–2 days.

He directed both the MHA and the UT government to prioritise the assessment of damage to public and private property. The Health and Public Health Engineering (Water Supply) Departments were instructed to remain vigilant, especially in preventing post-flood outbreaks. Shah also called for the deployment of medical units from the Army, Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), and Air Force, if needed.

Highlighting the region’s vulnerability to natural disasters, Shah noted that Rs 209 crore had already been allocated to the J&K UT as part of the Centre’s contribution to the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), enabling relief work to begin promptly.

He also instructed the Food Corporation of India (FCI) to make additional ration supplies available and said a decision on offline ration distribution would be taken within 10 days based on the connectivity status in remote areas.

Shah highlighted the need for a critical analysis of all Early Warning Apps (EWAs), their accuracy, and their reach to the grassroots level. Shah emphasised that improving the systems through critical analysis is the only way to move towards achieving zero casualties. He also highlighted the need for a critical review of the Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) early warning system.

Shah urged the Meteorological Department and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to jointly study the factors contributing to cloudbursts—particularly the role of moisture content in clouds—and develop an early warning framework using data analytics and artificial intelligence.

The Home Minister praised the timely warnings issued by the central government and the UT Disaster Management Authority, which he said played a crucial role in minimising the loss of life. He noted that the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Army, UT Disaster Response Force (UTDRF), and local police were all mobilised promptly, with helicopters on standby.

“More than 5000 people have been evacuated to safer places as a precaution. 17 teams of the NDRF and 23 Army columns, helicopters from Indian Air Force, UTDRF, J&K Police and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) personnel are still engaged in the entire operation and helping people,” he stated.

He acknowledged the damage to private property and said compensation under the SDRF for damaged houses would be disbursed as quickly as possible. He added that relief camps had been set up with proper health facilities and food arrangements by the UT government and expressed confidence that the situation would return to normal soon.