Jammu: Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary on Friday appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to announce a special package double the ₹80,000 crore package given after the 2014 floods in Kashmir, this time for the Jammu region.
As per news agency JKNS, Choudhary, during his visit to flood-affected areas of Jammu, said the devastation caused by recent floods is the “worst catastrophe in the last 100 years” for the region.
“The damage is so immense that Jammu deserves a package more than ₹80,000 crore. Unlike 2014, this time the money must go directly into people’s bank accounts,” Choudhary told reporters.
He alleged that the 2014 package never benefitted ordinary people, as funds “did not reach them.” “Even today, people of Kashmir say they did not receive that money. This time, the system should ensure direct benefit to victims,” he said.
The Dy CM further urged BJP legislators from J&K to take up the issue strongly in Delhi. “They must ensure that Jammu, which has witnessed unprecedented devastation, gets double the package of Kashmir 2014,” he added.
Choudhary described harrowing scenes of destruction in villages and towns. “Thousands of kanals of land have been washed away, cattle lost, houses destroyed. People are without food, water, and electricity. Elders say such a storm has not been seen in a century,” he said.
He also came down heavily on the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) over repeated damage to bridges and roads. “First one bridge collapsed, now another has sunk. NHAI’s credibility is at stake. Designs are being made in Delhi without ground study, leading to collapse after collapse,” he remarked, demanding structural accountability.
Choudhary announced that all bridges and flyovers in J&K will be inspected and that “poor-quality work will not be tolerated.”
He also stressed the need to curb encroachments along riverbanks and to protect forests and trees, saying that violations have worsened the devastation. (JKNS)
