Rajouri, July 22: Jammu and Kashmir Ministers Javed Ahmed Rana and Satish Sharma on Tuesday visited flood-hit areas of Rajouri district to assess the damage caused by recent flash floods and review the ongoing relief, rescue and restoration measures.
Jal Shakti, Forest, Ecology, Environment and Tribal Affairs Minister Javed Ahmed Rana, accompanied by Youth Services & Sports, Transport, Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs, Science & Technology Minister Satish Sharma, visited the worst-affected localities along with MLA Thanamandi Muzaffar Iqbal Khan, MLA Rajouri Iftkhar Ahmed and senior district officers.
The Ministers toured Bella Colony in Darhal, where flash floods triggered by incessant rainfall caused the Darhal, Khandli, Suktoh and Jamola streams to overflow, inundating low-lying areas. The breach of a flood protection wall along the Darhal river near Bella Colony led to severe flooding at the new bus stand, damaging dozens of vehicles.
Interacting with affected families, the Ministers assessed losses to residential houses, roads, drinking water infrastructure, power supply and other public utilities.
Describing the damage as extensive, Javed Rana said several rural areas had been cut off due to damaged roads, while irrigation schemes, flood protection bunds, water supply systems and residential properties had suffered heavy losses.
He directed the district administration and line departments to work in close coordination to restore essential services, particularly drinking water supply, road connectivity and electricity, on a war footing.
Rana also instructed officials to complete a time-bound assessment of damage to houses, agricultural land and public infrastructure to ensure the prompt release of relief and compensation. Stressing the importance of restoring electricity, he noted that several water supply schemes remained non-functional due to power outages and asked the Power Development Department to expedite restoration.
Assuring the affected families of full government support, the Ministers said the Omar Abdullah-led government is committed to providing timely relief, rehabilitation and restoration of normalcy.
"Our priority is to restore essential services, minimise hardships and ensure that every deserving family receives assistance without delay," Rana said.
Satish Sharma reiterated that coordinated efforts by all departments were underway to restore infrastructure and deliver relief to affected households at the earliest.
The Ministers also appealed to residents to strictly follow weather advisories and avoid venturing into flood-prone areas until conditions improve.
