New Delhi, Sep 1 (IANS) Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah is visiting Jammu on Sunday to review the devastation caused by recent heavy rains, flash floods, landslides, and soil erosion across the region.

As part of his two-day visit that began on August 31, Shah will conduct an aerial survey this morning to assess the damage and ongoing relief operations in the worst-affected areas.

At around 10:45 a.m., the Home Minister will begin an aerial survey of flood-ravaged regions, including Katra, the base camp of the revered Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine, and Kishtwar, where cloudbursts and landslides have resulted in significant loss of life and infrastructure.

A large number of people have reportedly lost their lives in these disasters, including many pilgrims of the Machail Mata and Vaishno Devi yatras.

Following the aerial assessment, HM Shah is scheduled to chair a high-level review meeting at Raj Bhawan. The meeting will focus on evaluating the response efforts and accelerating the pace of relief, rescue, and rehabilitation work in the affected districts.

Senior officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the J&K administration, and security agencies will brief the Home Minister on the status of ongoing operations.

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, top bureaucrats, and disaster management officials are expected to present detailed reports on damage assessment, infrastructure loss, and the relief measures being implemented.

A team from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs is accompanying Shah throughout the visit.

Shah will focus on relief, rehabilitation, and restoration efforts in the affected areas. The Home Minister may announce decisions related to the restoration of connectivity, rehabilitation efforts, and other matters to support affected communities.

Earlier on Sunday, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah carried out an extensive tour of Ramban and Udhampur districts to assess the widespread devastation caused by recent cloudbursts, flash floods, landslides and mudslides, which have severely disrupted life and damaged the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH-44).

–IANS

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