‘403 roads, bridges proposed for restoration at Rs 185 cr; 29 Kupwara habitations, 1,936 households under RDSS works’
Srinagar, Sep 21: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has disbursed around Rs 3.22 crore in relief among families affected by recent flash floods and landslides in Rajouri, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah informed the Legislative Assembly on Monday.
He said a proposal had also been prepared for the permanent restoration of 403 damaged roads and bridges in the district at an estimated cost of Rs 185 crore.
Replying to a question by Rajouri MLA Iftikhar Ahmed during Question Hour of the Autumn Session, Omar Abdullah, according to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said 149 family-wise cases related to damage caused by the recent flash floods and landslides had been received by the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Rajouri constituency.
“Rs 40.61 lakh has been disbursed to affected families in Rajouri constituency under the prescribed SDRF norms. In addition, Rs 2.81 crore has been released to District Rajouri from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund and disbursed among affected families in accordance with the approved norms,” the Chief Minister said.
The Chief Minister said a preliminary assessment of damage to roads and bridges in Rajouri district had been carried out and a proposal for the permanent restoration of 403 roads and bridges had been prepared at an estimated cost of Rs 185 crore.
On power infrastructure, he said damage worth Rs 27.99 crore had been assessed in Rajouri district due to heavy rains and flash floods in July 2026, including Rs 9.39 crore in Rajouri constituency.
“Temporary restoration of power supply has been undertaken through the installation of an Emergency Restoration System (ERS) tower on the 132 KV Rajouri-Draba transmission line. The tendering process for its permanent restoration is underway,” he said.
He said Rs 1.25 crore had been received under SDRF through the District Development Commissioner, Rajouri, for temporary restoration of power supply in the district.
“Rs 57.60 lakh was allocated to Rajouri constituency, Rs 43.40 lakh to Thanamandi and Rs 10.50 lakh to Kalakote,” he said.
On agricultural losses, Omar said the Agriculture Production Department had assessed crop damage in Rajouri constituency during Kharif 2026 through field-level verification.
According to the assessment, maize cultivated over 416 hectares suffered 15 percent damage, while paddy grown over 101.50 hectares suffered 65 percent damage.
The government also informed the House that damages to municipal assets, Public Health Engineering (PHE), flood control infrastructure, roads and buildings had been assessed by the concerned departments.
“All damaged roads, bridges, water supply and power supply schemes were temporarily restored within one month. Detailed Project Reports for permanent restoration have been prepared and are under consideration,” Omar said.
He added that flood-prone electrical infrastructure would be strengthened and realigned wherever required to enhance resilience against future eventualities.
“Adequate spares will also be kept available for immediate restoration of electrical infrastructure in case of future damage or disruption,” he said.
The Chief Minister also informed the House that electrification works covering 29 habitations and 1,936 households in Kupwara district were under implementation under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS).
Replying to a question by MLA Mir Mohammad Fayaz, he said Letters of Award had been issued for 10 blocks of Kupwara for works amounting to Rs 14.74 crore.
The works cover identified un-electrified habitations in Moori, Manigah, Kumkadi, Tangdar, Reday Chokibal, Wavwoora, Machil, Keran, Hyhama, Karoos, Teetwal, Sogam and Qadirabad.
“The survey, drawings and final Bills of Quantities (BOQs) for all identified habitations have been completed, while procurement of the required material is underway,” he said.
He said works had already commenced in 10 habitations across five blocks, with expenditure of around Rs 86 lakh incurred so far.
“The action plan for electrifying all remaining un-electrified households has been prepared as per the DPR sanctioned under RDSS. The works have been prioritised and their implementation is being monitored,” he said.
The Chief Minister said the works are scheduled for completion by October 2027.
On funds, he said no sanctioned amount had lapsed and Rs 3.68 crore had been released for Kupwara district during the current financial year. (KNO)
