Jammu, Aug 31: Union Home Minister Amit Shah is visiting Jammu and Kashmir to assess the damage caused by flash floods triggered by cloudbursts and record rainfall early this week, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Sunday.
Shah is scheduled to arrive in Jammu later this evening on a two-day tour and is expected to conduct an aerial survey of the flood-hit areas before chairing a high-level meeting at the Raj Bhavan on Monday.
More than 130 people were killed and over 120 injured while 33 remained untraced following cloudbursts, landslides and flash floods in Kishtwar, Kathua, Reasi and Ramban districts since August 14.
The record rainfall on August 26-27 also caused flash floods in low-lying areas across the region, causing widespread damage to public and private infrastructure.
“The home minister is solely coming here to assess the situation in the aftermath of the heavy rains and flash floods and look at our requirement from the Centre (to cope with the crisis). He has no other purpose, and he is not coming for security or development review,” Abdullah said.
Interacting with reporters in Udhampur after reviewing the ground situation along the Jammu-Srinagar national highway, which remained blocked for the sixth day on Sunday, Abdullah said he will put forth a detailed report to the Union home minister during the meeting at the Raj Bhavan.
Home Minister’s Jammu & Kashmir visit focused solely on Flood assessment: CM Omar Abdullah
