Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary on Friday appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to sanction a relief package double the Rs 80,000 crore package announced for Kashmir after the 2014 floods, citing the unprecedented devastation in the Jammu region.
Describing the floods as the worst in a century, Choudhary said the destruction in Jammu has been massive. “The damage is so severe that I will urge the Prime Minister and the Home Minister to announce a substantial relief package. This time, Jammu has suffered floods even more devastating than those in Kashmir in 2014. A package exceeding Rs 80,000 crore is essential, and it must reach people directly in their bank accounts,” he told reporters.
Following an extensive visit to flood-hit areas, the deputy chief minister emphasized, “Our demand is that Jammu, reeling from fresh floods, should receive double the package that Kashmir got in 2014.” He also urged BJP legislators to take up the matter with the central government: “I want to make it clear to BJP legislators that they must go to Delhi and ensure Jammu receives double the relief that was provided to Kashmir.”
Choudhary recalled that during the 2014 Kashmir floods, a PDP-BJP government was in power in the state while the Modi government was in Delhi. “An Rs 80,000 crore package was announced then, but it never reached the people. Even today, they say they did not receive it. This time, the relief funds must be directly deposited into their accounts,” he asserted.
Highlighting the scale of the current disaster, he said, “Heavy rains have caused unprecedented devastation in Jammu. Cities and villages alike show scenes of destruction. Thousands of kanals of agricultural land have been ruined, and people have lost livestock and homes.”
He further pointed out the dire conditions in towns and villages: “People have no food, drinking water, or electricity. The storm has destroyed everything. Elders say such floods have not occurred here in 100 years. Immediate compensation is necessary. The Chief Minister has already visited the affected areas, and I am also inspecting them as per his instructions.”
Taking a swipe at the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), he criticized poor-quality construction, saying, “I am personally reviewing the situation. The credibility of NHAI is at stake. Bridges on the national highways are collapsing repeatedly—first one, now another. NHAI must have its designers, structural engineers, and architects explain why this is happening. Designs made in Delhi without proper on-site study are failing. We now question NHAI’s functioning.”
He added that all bridges and flyovers would be thoroughly inspected and that substandard construction would not be tolerated in Jammu and Kashmir. Choudhary also noted, “This devastation is worsened by encroachments along rivers and the neglect of forests and trees. We must protect our natural resources while rebuilding.”
