Srinagar, September 6, 2025 : CPI(M) leader and MLA Kulgam, M.Y. Tarigami, on Friday urged the Union Government to step in with adequate financial assistance for the relief and rehabilitation of flood-affected people in Jammu and Kashmir.
Addressing a press conference in Srinagar, Tarigami — who also heads the Environment Committee of the J&K Legislative Assembly — said the devastation caused by the current spell of floods has been “extremely severe” in terms of loss of human lives and property.
“We urge the Government of India to come forward and provide adequate funds for relief and rehabilitation of all those who have suffered huge losses,” he said.
The CPI(M) leader expressed solidarity with people across Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, and Jammu & Kashmir, all of whom have faced massive destruction in the ongoing floods. Calling the calamity an “immense human tragedy,” he reminded that the 2014 floods had already served as a warning, but inadequate lessons were drawn, worsening the 2025 disaster.
Climate, Environment & Accountability Issues
Tarigami highlighted systemic lapses in environmental impact assessments (EIA), which he said were either ignored or compromised in fragile Himalayan ecosystems. He demanded the creation of a dedicated Climate Disaster Relief Fund to provide non-repayable assistance to states during natural calamities.
He also drew attention to the shrinking capacity of the Jhelum River, which has reduced from 63,000 cusecs in 1962 to nearly half today due to silting. He called for an ecological-friendly dredging operation of the river and its tributaries to restore carrying capacity and avert future floods.
Tarigami demanded:
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Third-party safety audits of public infrastructure such as dams and bridges.
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Strict action against land mafia and encroachers on floodplains and wetlands.
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A transparent probe into dredging works awarded for Wular Lake, Hokarsar, and Jhelum, stressing that the Anti-Corruption Bureau’s FIR must be pursued and details of vanished wetlands since 2015 be made public.
Call for National Response
Criticising the Union Government’s “lack of intent,” Tarigami said the absence of a Climate Disaster Relief Fund exposes the country to repeated crises without sustained rehabilitation support.
“With more and more states facing the vagaries of nature, creating such a fund is no longer optional — it is an urgent necessity,” he said.
