Official inspects rain-affected areas of Jammu

Commissioner Secretary, Housing and Urban Development Department (HUDD), Mandeep Kaur, on Friday conducted an extensive tour of various parts of Jammu city to assess the large-scale damage caused by the recent spell of torrential rains. The heavy downpour has severely impacted normal life, damaged vital infrastructure, and caused considerable hardship to residents.

During her visit, Kaur observed that several residential areas had been flooded, leaving houses filled with water and debris. Key drains, bridges and road links at critical locations were damaged, while in some stretches, roads were completely washed away, making vehicular movement impossible. The city’s drinking water supply network was also badly affected, further compounding public inconvenience.

Kaur inspected flood-affected localities including Greater Kailash, Sainik Colony, Sunjwan, Bathindi, Boria Basti, Bahu Fort, Vikram Chowk, Tawi Bridge, Talab Tillo, Roopnagar, Rajinder Nagar and Bantalab to take first-hand appraisal of damages and ongoing response measures. She was accompanied by Commissioner, Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC), Dr Devansh Yadav, who briefed her on relief and restoration works being carried out jointly by JMC teams and other line departments.

Issuing on-spot directions, Kaur instructed officials to immediately initiate restoration works with a clear focus on permanent and sustainable solutions. She stated that temporary patchwork would not be tolerated, stressing that wherever roads, bridges, drains, or lanes had been damaged, only durable and long-lasting methods should be adopted. She further directed that no new lane construction be undertaken without drain and proper technical planning and approval, and only concrete creeks be built to ensure stability and long-term resilience.

The Jal Shakti Department was directed to take immediate steps to restore the city’s drinking water supply to prevent inconvenience to residents.