NEW DELHI: Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday questioned why the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, led by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, allowed the pilgrimage to continue despite advance weather warnings that preceded a deadly landslide in Reasi district.
Speaking to reporters, Abdullah criticised what he called the authorities’ “apathetic approach.”
“When we knew about the weather, should we not have taken steps to save those lives? Why were these people still on the track? Why were they not stopped or moved to safety?” he asked, expressing grief over the loss of “29 to 30 precious lives.”
The landslide struck around 3 pm on Tuesday along the 12-km old trek from Katra to the shrine, killing 34 pilgrims, most of them from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi and Punjab. The new Himkoti route had been shut earlier in the day, but the old track remained open until 1:30 pm.
By Wednesday evening, the overall death toll across Jammu and Kashmir from record rainfall and flooding had risen to 41. Another 20 were injured. Four deaths were reported separately from Doda district due to flash floods.
Lt governor Manoj Sinha chaired a high-level review meeting, ordering evacuations from flood-hit areas, restoration of power, water and telecom services, and stockpiling of medicines in hospitals. He also directed closure of non-essential offices, schools and colleges until further notice and barred officials from taking leave during the crisis.
The Union Territory has been battered by record downpours: Udhampur logged 629.4 mm of rain in 24 hours—nearly double its previous record—while Jammu recorded its highest rainfall since 1973. The Jhelum river crossed the danger mark at Sangam in Anantnag, inundating parts of Srinagar.
Floods and landslides have damaged bridges, homes and highways, including the Srinagar–Jammu National Highway, Mughal Road, and NH-244. Telecom services were down for more than 22 hours before partial restoration. Abdullah, posting on X, said: “Still struggling with almost non-existent communication… Haven’t felt this disconnected since the terrible days of 2014 & 2019.”
Relief and rescue operations are underway. Over 5,000 people have been evacuated, with the Army, NDRF, SDRF and civil administration pressed into service. The Air Force deployed transport aircraft and helicopters to move NDRF personnel, air-drop food, and rescue stranded forces in Akhnoor.
Sinha announced an ex gratia of ₹9 lakh each to the families of those killed, while Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath offered ₹4 lakh to the kin of 11 victims from his state.
The tragedy comes less than two weeks after a cloudburst-triggered flood killed 65 pilgrims on the Machail Mata trail in Kishtwar, making this the second major pilgrimage disaster in J&K this monsoon season.
