As devastating rains and cloudbursts, followed by flash floods, wreaked havoc in the Jammu division—claiming over 150 lives in the last 15 days—Union Home Minister Amit Shah will arrive in this part of the Union Territory on Sunday for a two-day visit to assess the ground situation.
During his visit, Shah will tour various flood-affected areas of Jammu province, including the holy town of Katra, the base camp of the revered Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, where 34 devotees lost their lives in a massive landslide on August 24.
According to reports, Shah will reach Jammu on Sunday evening and return to New Delhi on the evening of September 1. A team from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will accompany him.
Soon after his arrival, Shah will proceed to Raj Bhawan to chair a high-level meeting to review the damage caused by the floods across the Jammu region and the steps being taken by the UT administration to restore infrastructure. Civilian property has also suffered extensive damage.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, along with senior MHA and UT administration officials, will attend the meeting and brief the Home Minister about damages, relief and rescue operations, and restoration efforts.
Cloudbursts, flash floods, and landslides have caused extensive damage to government infrastructure such as bridges and roads, as well as civilian property including houses, shops, fields, and agricultural land. Pilgrimages to the holy shrines of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi in Katra and Machail Mata in Kishtwar have also been severely disrupted.
Likely visit to Katra on Monday
Reports said that Amit Shah is likely to visit Katra on September 1 to meet the injured victims of the Adhkunwari landslide who are undergoing treatment at Narayana Hospital.
He will also undertake an aerial survey of Adhkunwari, where the landslide tragedy struck on August 26, killing 34 pilgrims and injuring many others.
The Home Minister is further expected to visit Kishtwar and conduct an aerial assessment of the damage caused by the devastating cloudburst on August 14, followed by a flash flood at Chashoti along the Machail Mata pilgrimage route.
In what is being described as the worst natural calamity of the decade in Jammu and Kashmir, 65 people—most of them devotees—were killed and over 120 were injured in Chashoti village, which was struck by a massive flash flood after a cloudburst.
According to official data, 32 pilgrims from different parts of Jammu province are still missing and are presumed dead by the authorities. It is believed they were washed away in the floods.
Mehbooba demands special package
Ahead of Union Home Minister Amit Shah's visit, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti urged the Central government to announce a special relief package for Jammu and Kashmir in view of the devastation caused by rain-related calamities in the Union Territory.
"The recent floods, cloudbursts, and landslides have caused widespread destruction in Jammu and Kashmir, with Jammu hit the hardest. Lives have been lost, homes destroyed, infrastructure damaged, and families left with nothing," Mufti said in a post on social media platform X.
She urged the Government of India to announce a relief package similar to the one provided after the 2014 floods. "This time, special attention must be given to Jammu, which has suffered the most," she added.
Mufti also called for a coordinated effort between the Centre and the Jammu and Kashmir government, stressing that it was essential to ensure the affected people are not left to fend for themselves during this crisis.
