Inter-Ministerial Central Teams (IMCT) will conduct an on-the-spot assessment to expedite relief operations in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab, ravaged by heavy monsoon rains, cloudbursts and landslides in the four northern regions of the country, announced by Home Minister Amit Shah after chairing a high-level meeting of senior officials in Jammu on Monday.
The Central teams will be led by a senior officer in the level of joint secretary in the MHA/ NDMA, and will include senior officers from the ministries and departments of expenditure, agriculture & farmers welfare, jal shakti, power, road transport & highways and rural development. As per the decision taken by the Union Home Minister Amit Shah in August 2019, the MHA constitutes IMCTs immediately in the aftermath of a severe disaster for on-the-spot assessment of the damage, without waiting for state memoranda. After the assessment of damage is completed by the IMCT, the Central government provides additional financial assistance to the states from NDRF, as per the established procedure.
Shah arrived in Jammu last evening to take stock of the situation in view of deaths and destruction due to adverse weather in the region.
More than 120 people have died in Jammu and Kashmir, mostly pilgrims in Jammu, due to cloudbursts, floods and landslides caused by torrential rains.
An official statement by the home ministry said Central teams will visit the affected districts of J&K and three other states, which have been severely hit by heavy to extremely heavy rainfall and incidents of flash floods, cloudbursts and landslides, early next week. The high-level review meeting was attended by Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, IB Chief Tapan Deka, DG BSF Daljit Singh Chaudhary and officials from the National Highways Authority of India and the Indian Meteorological Department.
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The home minister also visited the Tawi bridge that suffered severe damage due to floods. He was accompanied by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and the Leader of the Opposition, Sunil Sharma. He was briefed by officials on the spot about the damage to the bridge and the flood situation. He also visited Bikram Chowk and the adjacent areas that were affected by floods.
His itinerary also included a survey of the flood-ravaged areas, especially Katra in Reasi and Chashoti in Kishtwar. On August 14, a cloudburst at Chashoti killed 67 pilgrims of Machail Mata, while 40 others are still missing. The search to locate them is still going on. In another incident, on August 26, 35 pilgrims died in a landslide en route to the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine, and 20 were injured.
The Home Minister’s visit highlights the concern with which the Centre is viewing the crisis triggered by nature’s fury in Jammu and Kashmir.
