SRINAGAR :Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday visited flood-hit Beerwah in central Kashmir’s Budgam district to assess the damage caused by recent flash floods and assured relief to shopkeepers who lost their businesses after floodwaters washed away a shopping complex at the town’s bus stand.
The Chief Minister inspected the affected area at the Beerwah Bus Stand, where a shopping complex was swept away after the collapse of a flood protection wall along Nallah Sukhnag during heavy rainfall. He interacted with the affected traders and assured them that the government would extend all possible assistance to those whose shops had been constructed with valid government permission.
Omar directed the Deputy Commissioner, Budgam, to receive and verify all relevant documents from the affected shopkeepers so that genuine cases could be processed for compensation and rehabilitation in accordance with government norms.
Addressing the traders, the Chief Minister said the government would examine all eligible cases sympathetically and ensure that every possible support is provided to the affected families. Responding to the traders’ demand for temporary rehabilitation, he said the newly constructed Municipal Committee shopping complex could be considered for their temporary relocation, subject to its structural safety.
The Chief Minister also ordered the Roads and Buildings (R&B) Department to carry out a comprehensive structural safety audit of the Municipal Committee shopping complex and other government buildings situated along Nallah Sukhnag. He said no commercial activity should be permitted in any building unless it is certified safe by the competent authorities.
Later, Omar inspected the restoration work on the damaged diversion bridge over Nallah Sukhnag, which was washed away in the flash floods. He directed the concerned departments to expedite repair work to restore vehicular connectivity between Beerwah and Budgam at the earliest.
He also reviewed the progress of the under-construction main motorable bridge over the nallah and stressed the need to maintain quality standards while ensuring timely completion of the project.
The Chief Minister further instructed the district administration and line departments to speed up the restoration of roads, bridges, power supply, drinking water facilities and other essential public services damaged in the floods. He asked all departments to remain on high alert and respond promptly to any emergency arising due to the prevailing weather conditions.
MLA Beerwah Dr Shafi Ahmad Wani, Deputy Commissioner Budgam Athar Aamir Khan and senior officers of the district administration and various line departments accompanied the Chief Minister during the visit.
