Kashmir Impulse Desk

Srinagar, July 20

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has announced ex gratia payments of Rs 6 lakh for the families of people killed in recent rain-related disasters and ordered authorities to accelerate restoration of essential services.

Abdullah reviewed the situation through a high-level video conference, assessing damage to power and water supplies, roads, healthcare, relief operations and food stocks.

The compensation includes Rs 4 lakh from the State Disaster Response Fund and Rs 2 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.

The chief minister directed officials to restore electricity, roads and drinking water supplies as quickly as possible, with particular attention to vulnerable areas in Poonch and Rajouri.

He ordered district administrations to identify high-risk settlements using historical flood data and evacuate residents where necessary.

Authorities were also instructed to regulate traffic on landslide and shooting-stone-prone roads and ensure supplies of food, medicines and drinking water remained uninterrupted.

Abdullah called for emergency equipment, including dewatering pumps, to be positioned in flood-prone areas of Srinagar after widespread waterlogging.

Officials said relief centres were operating and displaced families had been moved to safer locations.

The government was also processing allocations of three months of food grains and monitoring fuel supplies and mobile connectivity in affected areas.

Abdullah ordered divisional commissioners to submit situation reports every six hours to the disaster management department as the adverse weather continued.

He also expressed grief over deaths in Doda and instructed authorities to ensure medical treatment for the injured and assistance to affected families.