Jammu, Apr 29 (KNO): Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Tuesday underscored the importance of robust inter-departmental coordination to ensure uninterrupted essential services and swift response mechanism during the upcoming summer season across Jammu division.
Chairing a high-level review meeting, the Chief Minister assessed the readiness of various departments to address challenges likely to emerge during the summer months.
Advisor to the Chief Minister Nasir Aslam Wani, Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, Additional Chief Secretary Education Shantmanu, Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) Jal Shakti Shaleen Kabra, ACS to Chief Minister Dheeraj Gupta, Administrative Secretaries of various departments, Divisional Commissioner Jammu, Managing Director JPDCL, Commissioner JMC, Deputy Commissioners of all districts of Jammu division, representatives from BRO and other concerned departments attended the meeting both in person and virtually.
During the meeting, the Chief Minister conducted a department-wise review of summer preparedness, covering Jal Shakti (PHE, Irrigation & Flood Control), Health & Medical Education, Power Development Department (PDD), Public Works (R&B), Fire & Emergency Services, Forest, JPDCL, JMC, and others.
Highlighting the need to minimise public inconvenience during heatwave conditions, Omar Abdullah stated, “Coordination between all line departments is vital to ensure uninterrupted essential services to citizens during summer months.”
He further stressed the importance of a swift response mechanism amid rising temperatures and the possibility of heatwave, water shortages or power outages.
“Response time to any kind of exigency should be minimised,” he asserted.
Engaging directly with Deputy Commissioners, the Chief Minister reviewed district-level preparedness and urged them to prioritise timely, effective response to weather-related challenges.
He emphasised the need to keep personnel ready and machinery in working condition to ensure the uninterrupted functioning of essential services.
“Preparedness is not just about having systems in place but ensuring that those systems work seamlessly when put to the test,” Omar Abdullah noted, adding that preparedness must be proactive rather than reactive.
While commending field-level officers for their proactive planning, he called upon them to maintain a constant state of readiness and ensure grievance redressal mechanisms remain accessible and effective for public facilitation during emergencies.
Divisional Commissioner Jammu delivered a detailed presentation highlighting preparations for the upcoming summer season, with a focus on the availability of drinking water, electricity supply management, and medical emergency response strategies.
The meeting was informed that in respect of forest fire management, high-risk districts like Nowshera, Jammu and Reasi have been prioritized with 175 control rooms and awareness drives. Water supply preparedness would include vulnerability mapping, infrastructure maintenance, and deployment of tankers, while IEC campaigns to deal with heatwave effect are being conducted.
It was informed that Power infrastructure is being strengthened through transformer upgrades, pruning of tree branches and activation of emergency teams. It was given out that the Health Department has stocked essential supplies, operationalized Heat Stroke Rooms, and mandated daily reporting of heat-related illnesses.
Divisional Commissioner also informed the meeting that Schools in the summer zone will follow revised timings from May 1, and the school bag policy is in effect. Irrigation canals have been desilted, and flood control rooms activated, with mitigation plans in place for vulnerable districts, he said.
JMC has readied monsoon rescue units, upgraded drainage equipment, and deployed water sprinklers and coolers for heatwave relief, he told the meeting.
He added that BRO and PMGSY have mapped landslide and flood-prone sites, ensuring machinery is in place for rapid response.
The Chief Minister directed departments to activate control rooms, maintain buffer stocks of essential supplies, and deploy quick response teams to vulnerable areas.
He also instructed the deployment of an adequate number of water tankers in areas prone to shortages.
Additionally, he directed the ACS Jal Shakti to install GPS trackers on all water tankers to ensure accountability and oversight of their field operations.
The Chief Minister also called for timely maintenance of key roads, particularly the Srinagar–Jammu National Highway, Mughal Road, and other vital routes—(KNO)