J-K LG Sinha, CM Omar Abdullah hold meeting to review rescue operations after flash floods hit Jammu area

Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], August 27 (ANI): Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha chaired a high-level meeting on Wednesday to review the rescue and relief operations and preparedness of the Union Territory after the landslide that occurred near the Vaishno Devi shrine in J-K's Katra and the flash flood situation in several districts.
A day earlier, a landslide occurred near the Vaishno Devi shrine, where 30 people lost their lives. The landslide occurred near Inderprastha Bhojnalaya at Adhkwari cave temple, located on the route to the Vaishno Devi shrine.
The Lieutenant Governor directed officials to take every possible measure to ensure that people staying in low-lying flood-affected areas are safely evacuated.
He asked the officials to ensure the maintenance of all essential services, such as power, healthcare, clean drinking water, rations, and teleconnectivity. He said the essential services disrupted in flood-affected areas must be restored on priority, and the natural-disaster-hit regions should have an adequate stock of essential supplies and medicines.

The Lieutenant Governor also directed the immediate restoration of roads and bridges on National Highways, the establishment of alternate routes for traffic movement, and the preparation of hospitals in case of an influx of patients with waterborne diseases.

The Lieutenant Governor directed PDD to closely work with NHPC Limited and Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) to expedite the restoration of the Power Infrastructure. He called upon the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to assist PWD in restoring UT's roads along with National Highways.
LG Sinha directed the Additional Chief Secretary, Jal Shakti, to ensure alternative arrangements for providing clean drinking water in the waterlogged and flood-affected areas, especially in remote and hilly habitations, while restoring the regular water supply infrastructure.
He also directed the Secretary of the Health, Public Works Department (R&B), Food and Civil Supplies, and Power Development Department to remain in the Jammu Division and reach out to the flood-affected areas. He said no officer or employee will take leave or leave the station.

The Lieutenant Governor directed officials that non-essential government offices, schools, and colleges must remain closed until further notice. Every district is to ensure the 24/7 functioning of control rooms to assist individuals and households affected by the flooding. Sinha said emergency responders must be pre-positioned in vulnerable areas, and other teams should be adequately equipped and ready to be deployed within hours in case of an emergency.
The Lieutenant Governor is reviewing the situation 24x7 and is in touch with the UT and central agencies officials concerned. He lauded the efforts of the Army, Air Force, NDRF, CAPFs, District Administration, Police and SDRF for minimising the loss of precious lives by acting swiftly in the evacuation of people to safe locations.
Lt. Governor Sinha also briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah on the flash flood situation and stated that officials had been directed to remain fully prepared to handle any emergency.
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Sinha also visited SMVD Narayana Superspeciality Hospital in Katra, where he met devotees who had been injured in a recent landslide. He inquired about their health condition and assured them of the best medical care.
Further, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah held a meeting with MLAs after heavy rains and floods in the Jammu area. He also spoke to PM Modi and briefed him about the situation in the worst-hit areas of Jammu, particularly along the banks of the Tawi River, which had suffered significant damage due to recent events.
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Abdullah expressed gratitude for the Prime Minister's assurance of continued assistance to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

Meanwhile, an IAF C-130 transport aircraft, loaded with relief and rescue material along with an NDRF Team, reached Jammu to provide critical supplies and trained personnel for ongoing rescue efforts in the area. Additional transport aircraft remain on standby to join the rescue efforts.

In a textbook display of coordination and efficiency, 12 Army troops and 11 BSF personnel, including 3 BSF lady constables, were winched up to safety from flood-affected areas in the Akhnoor Area, Jammu. IAF remains committed to safeguarding armed forces personnel under challenging circumstances.
124 personnel and a 22-ton load of NDRF were airlifted from Hindan to Jammu with the IAF using transport aircraft C-130 and IL-76. Five Mi-17 and one Chinook helicopters have also been pressed into relief operations.
However, 90 persons (including IA personnel) have been rescued from various flooded locations as of 05:00 pm. Relief materials, such as drinking water and food packets, are being airdropped to cut-off locations.
Further, Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Reasi, Jugal Kishore Sharma, told ANI, "29 people who have died have been identified. Five are unidentified...They are also trying to identify them...You were also with us. How many people are injured? What is the death toll? Fifteen people came here; fourteen people are being treated here. 1 has gone back. Eight people were in Katra Hospital, with four being kept under observation. Four people have been released. Fourteen people are in the hospital. Eighteen people are in Katra Hospital. The death toll is 34....29 have been identified. 5 have not been identified. The death toll is still 34."
Mohsen Shahedi, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), told ANI that eighteen NDRF teams have been deployed in Jammu and Kashmir, resulting in significant flooding in the Jammu region.

"Since the past two days, there has been heavy rainfall, due to which a lot of flooding has taken place in the Jammu region, parts of Himachal and Punjab... Seeing the situation, we have moved additional teams today. They have been airlifted to the Jammu region. Four more have been moved by road from Ludhiana. Now, 18 teams have been deployed in Jammu & Kashmir," the NDRF DIG told ANI.
Meanwhile, a landslide caused by continuous heavy rainfall in J-K's Udhampur district has led to a huge boulder falling onto the road, prompting the closure of the vital Jammu-Srinagar National Highway for public safety.

Trees are uprooted due to landslides and incessant rainfall, after which the CRPF and Jammu and Kashmir Police are on the spot to control the situation.
A day earlier, a landslide occurred near the Vaishno Devi shrine, where 30 people lost their lives. The landslide occurred near Inderprastha Bhojnalaya at Adhkwari cave temple, located on the route to the Vaishno Devi shrine.
Further, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu expressed grief over the loss of lives in the Vaishno Devi landslide in Jammu and Kashmir's Katra. (ANI)