Sept 1, 2025: Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to arrive in Jammu on Sunday for a two-day visit to assess the situation following the devastating rains that have claimed more than 110 lives and left 32 people missing, officials said.
Shah is expected to reach the Raj Bhavan in Jammu on August 31, where he will chair a high-level meeting with senior officials to review the overall situation, including the damage caused by flash floods, particularly in the border areas. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and top civil and police officers will attend the meeting to brief the Home Minister on the ongoing relief efforts and the recovery process.
Sources added that Shah is likely to visit the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine base camp in Katra and will also conduct an aerial survey of the Kishtwar region to assess the extent of the damage.
In the past few weeks, the Union Territory's Jammu division has experienced a number of extreme weather conditions, including flash floods, landslides, torrential rain, and cloudbursts. Among the most devastating incidents was a cloudburst in Kishtwar’s Chositi village during the annual Machail Mata Yatra, which resulted in the deaths of 65 pilgrims. This week, at least 34 people were killed after a landslide struck near the Vaishno Devi shrine.
The cloudburst that ravaged Chositi village in the Kishtwar district prompted Defense Minister Rajnath Singh to visit Jammu on August 24 to assess the situation. Singh went to Jammu's Government Medical College (GMC) to talk to doctors about the victims' conditions and meet with them. However, Singh’s planned visit to Chositi village could not be completed due to inclement weather and a fresh landslide that blocked roads in the Paddar sub-division.
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Union Minister of State Dr Jitendra Singh accompanied Singh during his visit.