SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah will on Wednesday visit rain-hit areas of Poonch to assess the damage caused by last month’s flash floods and landslides and review relief, rehabilitation and restoration efforts, officials said.
Abdullah will meet affected residents and families of those who died in the July 19 rain-related disaster, while taking first-hand stock of the damage and the relief requirements in the district, his office said.
“Chief Minister is visiting Poonch today to meet the people affected by the recent floods and assess the damage and relief requirements first-hand. He will also review the ongoing relief, rehabilitation and restoration measures with the district administration,” the Chief Minister’s Office said in a post on X.
The Chief Minister travelled to Poonch through the historic Mughal Road and was received at Pir Ki Gali by Jal Shakti Minister Javed Ahmed Rana and Surankote MLA Choudhary Mohammad Akram. Senior civil and police officers were also present during his visit, officials said.
Surankote was among the worst-affected areas, accounting for most of the 16 fatalities reported in Poonch following the July 19 extreme weather event. Six people remain missing in the district.
Torrential rainfall triggered cloudbursts, flash floods and landslides across parts of Poonch, damaging residential houses, roads, bridges and other infrastructure. Vehicles and houses were swept away at several locations, while connectivity and essential services were disrupted.
Hundreds of families have been affected by the disaster, with some shifted to safer locations as authorities continue to assess the extent of the damage and undertake restoration work.
Abdullah had chaired a high-level meeting of senior officers in Jammu on July 19 to review the situation following heavy rainfall. He subsequently announced an ex gratia payment of Rs 6 lakh to the next of kin of each person killed in rain-related incidents in Poonch and adjoining Rajouri.
Three people were killed and one person remained missing in Rajouri in the same spell of rain-related incidents.
At the July 19 meeting, Abdullah expressed grief over the loss of lives in flash floods, landslides and other rain-related incidents and said the government would stand with the affected families during the crisis.
The Chief Minister is also likely to visit Rajouri later on Wednesday, officials said.
