The Congress party has issued a scathing rebuke of the Central government, demanding a comprehensive relief package for flood-devastated Jammu and Kashmir and urging that the crisis be declared a national calamity. J&K Congress president Tariq Hameed Karra, addressing the media on Sunday, also called for a judicial probe into the tragic deaths of over 100 pilgrims in cloudburst and landslide incidents on the Machail Mata and Vaishno Devi routes in Kishtwar and Reasi districts last month, accusing authorities of negligence.

Karra slammed Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s recent visit to flood-hit Jammu as a “casual” gesture that failed to address the plight of the region’s 1.4 crore residents. “The hopes of the people were dashed. Shah visited one or two places just to show his presence, ignoring the pilgrims who lost their lives,” he said, criticizing the BJP-led Centre for its apparent insensitivity. He pointed out that over 130 people have died and 33 remain missing since August 14 due to cloudbursts, landslides, and flash floods across Kishtwar, Kathua, Reasi, and Ramban districts, including 34 pilgrims killed in a Vaishno Devi landslide on August 26.

The Congress leader accused the government of failing to learn from past disasters, citing inadequate measures to enhance river and flood channel capacities to mitigate flash floods. “We demand a comprehensive plan, crafted with all stakeholders, to prevent such tragedies,” Karra said, urging the Centre to emulate its 2015 aid to Nepal’s earthquake victims by prioritizing J&K’s rehabilitation. He proposed relaxed relief norms akin to those applied during the 2014 floods, including free electricity for farmers until their productivity recovers, waiver of Kisan Credit Card loans, and interest-free fresh loans.

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Karra highlighted the dire situation in Jammu’s villages, many of which lack electricity and water, and called for six months of free rations for families whose homes were submerged. He also demanded a probe by a sitting or retired high court judge into the August 14 Chashoti cloudburst and Vaishno Devi landslide, rejecting the lieutenant governor’s three-member committee as inadequate. “Despite weather warnings, pilgrims were allowed to proceed. This criminal negligence must be investigated,” he said, noting that a similar probe into a 2022 Vaishno Devi stampede was never made public.

Further, Karra called for a high-level expert committee to investigate man-made factors, such as illegal mining by major contractors, which he alleged exacerbated the damage. He raised concerns about ongoing land subsidence in several areas, urging relocation and rehabilitation for affected residents, and warned of potential waterborne disease outbreaks, pressing the government for preventive measures. With losses estimated in hundreds of crores, particularly to agriculture and infrastructure, the Congress’s demands underscore the urgent need for robust Central intervention to rebuild lives in flood-ravaged J&K.

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