Jammu, Sep 12: Union Minister Jitendra Singh Friday visited the flood-affected areas along the International Border in Hiranagar in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir. He also visited Paharpur village along the Zero Line of the Indo-Pak International Border, which was badly affected by floods.
The union minister met the victims and assured them of all possible help in their rehabilitation. On the occasion, he distributed relief material among the victims.
The minister also visited the dilapidated house of one of the affected, Roop Lal, and spent some time with the family, and had tea served by the family.
He interacted with locals who narrated the loss of their standing crops due to inundation.
Singh directed the district administration to expedite the crop damage assessment so that compensation could be provided to the affected farmers at the earliest.
He further informed that the district administration had already submitted the list of houses fully or partially damaged for relief under the SDRF norms.
Highlighting the government’s measures for relief in border areas, the union minister said that Rs 50 lakh worth of nano-technology-based vehicles were deployed to ensure the well-being of border residents.
Earlier, he visited a relief camp organised for the flood affected.
He inspected mobile and domestic water filters and purifying units and handed them over to the district administration for installation in the affected areas so that the victims could have access to safe drinking water in this difficult time.
Singh said these units would serve the sanitation needs of the flood-affected people and help prevent the spread of water-borne diseases in the calamity-struck areas.
The domestic water purifier units are designed for household use and can purify drinking water without the need for electricity, while the mobile water purifying unit, with a capacity of 3000–4000 litres per hour, can draw water from any source and runs on power from the vehicle on which it is installed.
The launch of these units is expected to strengthen safe drinking water access in vulnerable areas.
Later, Singh visited Border Out Post, BOP-Paharpur, where he was given a detailed briefing on the role of the border force during the rescue and relief operations at the time of floods in the area.
On the occasion, he addressed the soldiers to appreciate their work during the natural disaster, saying they played an important role in saving precious lives.
Singh underlined that the soldiers remained at the forefront and reached the affected people even before the local civil administration.
He informed the gathering that the Government of India was committed to building the multi-purpose dam on the Ujh rivulet.
On the last leg of his visit, Singh visited the flood-affected people in the border area of Ramgarh in Samba district.
He also met BSF personnel at BOP Tanwar, Kamore in Samba.
Singh assured that the government was ready to provide all kinds of assistance to the local administration in the rehabilitation of the flood-affected.
He said Prime Minister Narendra had already pledged all help for the victims.
