Why didn’t Shrine Board stopped pilgrims despite weather warning? Questions Omar
JAMMU, Aug 27: In the aftermath of heavy monsoon rains and flood situation in Jammu, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today conducted an extensive tour of the city to assess damages and oversee immediate relief measures.
Chief Minister visited the flood-affected areas in Jammu to take stock of damage caused due to floods. He assessed the ground situation and issued directions to the administration to take all necessary steps to safeguard the lives of people in vulnerable areas.
He was accompanied by Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Transport, Satish Sharma. Additional Chief Secretary to CM Dheeraj Gupta, Divisional Commissioner Jammu Ramesh Kumar, Inspector General of Police Jammu Zone Bhim Sen Tuti, Deputy Commissioner Jammu Dr. Rakesh Minhas, Additional Deputy Commissioner Ansuya Jamwal, and other district officers were also present.
Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar and Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Minhas briefed the Chief Minister on ongoing rescue operations, functioning of temporary shelters, supply logistics, and inter-departmental coordination.
During his visit, the Chief Minister inspected 4th Tawi Bridge Bhagwati Nagar, Science College at Old Campus University, Hari Singh Park near Hotel Fortune Riviera and flood hit areas of Gujjar Nagar Jammu. Chief Minister emphasized that the damaged end portion of the Fourth Tawi Bridge required immediate technical evaluation, recalling that the structure had suffered damage during the 2014 floods as well. He underlined the need for preventive measures to avert similar risks in the future.
On the issue of damaged houses, Omar Abdullah said rehabilitation must be planned in a holistic manner to ensure affected families receive adequate support. He directed officials to identify urgent on-ground challenges and resolve them on priority.
The Chief Minister also informed that he had briefed the Prime Minister about the flood situation who assured full support from the Government of India. Chief Minister apprised the Prime Minister about the areas worst hit due to floods in several areas of Jammu along the banks of Tawi river. Chief Minister expressed satisfaction on the assurance given by the Prime Minister and thanked him for promising continued assistance to the people of J&K in the wake of floods.
Expressing grief over the recent landslide in Katra, which claimed the lives of pilgrims, the Chief Minister noted that preventive measures should have been implemented beforehand to stop the pilgrims from proceeding on the route and holding them at safe locations in view of advance warnings about the severity of the weather. He resented loss of precious lives and conveyed condolences and regrets over the tragic loss of lives.
Chief Minister also gave directions to the BSNL and private telecom operators Jio Network & Airtel to immediately restore internet and telecom services in Jammu & Kashmir which has disrupted working and communication in J&K stressing that functioning of communication net work is all the more important during times of crises and emergency.
Chief Minister also directed that all immediate steps be taken for restoring traffic on Srinagar Jammu National highway and Jammu- Pathankot Highway so that stranded vehicles are cleared and traffic is restored on priority.
Chief Minister gave directions to line departments to work on war footing for restoration of electricity, water supply and road access in all affected areas. The Chief Minister added that a comprehensive relief package for Jammu and Kashmir would soon be formulated in coming days.
Later, during his field visit, Omar Abdullah inspected several flood-affected areas and interacted with residents, assessed damages, and directed officials to expedite relief, ensure temporary arrangements, and restore essential services without delay.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday questioned the decision of the Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, under the control of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, to allow the pilgrimage to continue despite warnings of heavy downpour.
The death toll in the Vaishno Devi landslide has gone up to 34, officials said on Wednesday, a day after the disaster struck the route on the hilltop shrine in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district.
Speaking to reporters, Abdullah criticised the apathetic approach of the authorities. “We will have to talk about it later. When we knew about the weather, should we not have taken certain steps to save those lives?” he asked. “The weather warning had come to us a few days ago.”
The landslide, triggered by incessant heavy rain, occurred on Tuesday around 3 pm on the old 12-km trek from the base camp of Katra to the hilltop shrine, catching many pilgrims by surprise.
Authorities had suspended the pilgrimage on the new Himkoti trek route on Tuesday morning, but it continued on the old route until 1:30 pm.
“Why were these people on the track? Why were they not stopped? Why were they not moved to a safe place?” Abdullah asked. “This has to be discussed later. We feel sorrow over the loss of 29 to 30 precious lives.”
The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board was set up in 1986 under the provisions of the Jammu and Kashmir Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Act, 1988, for management and governance.
When Jammu and Kashmir was a state, the governor was the ex officio chairman of the board. After the 2019 reorganisation of the state, the L-G is the chairman.
Last year, 98.4 lakh pilgrims visited the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine from the rest of the country and the world.
Meanwhile, the water levels in the swollen rivers across Jammu showed signs of receding. However, the flood alert mark was breached by the Jhelum in Anantnag and Srinagar, and water entered several residential areas. This prompted authorities to assure residents that they are monitoring the situation and people should not panic.
Massive damage has been reported to public infrastructure, including several key bridges, private houses and commercial establishments, due to overflowing of water bodies and flash floods across the Union Territory, officials said.
Telecom services also got partially restored after remaining suspended for over 22 hours, while the chief minister rushed to Jammu from Srinagar to personally review the situation in the region
