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JAMMU: Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) Chief Tariq Hameed Karra, along with senior Congress leaders, on Tuesday visited flood-affected areas of Kathua, Lakhanpur, Samba and Ramgarh to assess the large-scale damage caused to private property, crops, houses, and public infrastructure.
Accompanied by Raman Bhalla, Ch. Lal Singh, Chief Spokesperson Ravinder Sharma, Ex-MLAs Balbir Singh, Yash Pal Kundal, Indu Pawar, DCC Kathua President Pankaj Dogra, Ch. Hussain Ali Wafa, Durga Dutt, T.S. Tony, Samba District President Sanjeev Sharma, Babbal Gupta, Sanjeev Panda, Rajveer Singh, Vijyant Pathania and others, the Congress team interacted with locals in flood-ravaged areas including Kalibadi, Lakhanpur, Vijaypur, and Ramgarh.
The delegation noted the collapse of portions of the Kalibadi Bridge, shamshan ghat, government buildings, and widespread damage to crops and houses. At Lakhanpur, locals pointed out that timely opening of floodgates could have prevented destruction of infrastructure.
Speaking to reporters, Karra reiterated the demand for declaring the floods a national disaster and sought a high-level expert enquiry into administrative lapses such as unchecked illegal mining, weak embankments, and delayed preventive measures.
Criticizing the Centre, Karra said:
“The Home Minister’s visit was casual, and the announced ₹209 crore relief package is a cruel joke with the people of J&K.”
“The Prime Minister visits Jammu only during election campaigns but ignores people during calamities.”
He further demanded a mega relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction package in proportion to the magnitude of losses. He also reminded that Congress has already called for probes into the Vaishno Devi tragedy and the Chasoti lapses, stressing that similar accountability is needed in the aftermath of the recent floods.
Later, the PCC Chief toured remote villages in Ramgarh sector, including Muthi Zharu (near the International Border), Varota camp, and nearby hamlets, where he met affected families whose agricultural lands were washed away and livelihoods severely damaged.(Agencies)
