Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit the flood-hit northern states of India to personally assess the scale of destruction and review the relief and rehabilitation measures being undertaken. While government sources confirmed the development on Friday, they also clarified that no official date or schedule for the visit has been finalised yet.
The Prime Minister’s visit comes at a time when several state governments have appealed for urgent central assistance to deal with one of the worst flood and landslide disasters in recent decades. Since the onset of the monsoon in June, relentless rainfall has triggered devastating floods, landslides, and cloudbursts across Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, and Uttarakhand, leaving more than 500 people dead and causing widespread damage to infrastructure, homes, and farmland.
In Himachal Pradesh, which has emerged as one of the worst-affected states, authorities reported 95 flash floods, 45 cloudbursts, and 132 major landslides since June 20. At least 355 lives have been lost, with 49 people still missing. The State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) said the financial toll has already reached Rs 3,787 crore, while over 1,217 roads remain blocked, paralysing connectivity in major districts including Mandi, Shimla, Kullu, and Chamba. National highways such as NH-3, NH-5, NH-305, and NH-505 have been rendered impassable, and the Shimla-Kalka rail line has been suspended after multiple landslips damaged the tracks.
In Uttarakhand, the state government has formally sought Rs 5,702.15 crore in assistance from the Centre to rebuild after the devastation. Between April and August, natural calamities claimed 79 lives, left 90 missing, and injured 115 people. Beyond human casualties, the floods destroyed thousands of homes and wiped out livestock, shops, and tourism-related businesses such as hotels and homestays, dealing a blow to the state’s fragile hill economy.
Meanwhile, Punjab is battling one of its worst flood crises in decades, with more than 1,900 villages across 23 districts submerged. At least 43 people have died, and crops across nearly 1.71 lakh hectares have been destroyed. Damage to infrastructure has been severe, with more than 270 km of roads ruined and over 140 schools suffering structural losses. The Punjab government has urgently appealed to the Prime Minister for a special financial package to address the large-scale devastation.
The situation in Jammu and Kashmir is equally grim, with continuous rainfall cutting off the Kashmir Valley from the rest of the country. The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway—a lifeline for the region—remains blocked due to multiple landslides, while other key routes like the Jammu-Rajouri-Poonch and Batote-Doda-Kishtwar highways have also been damaged. Rail services in the Jammu division have been suspended for over a week following track breaches on the Pathankot-Jammu section. Last month, a deadly landslide near the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra claimed 34 lives, further underscoring the severity of the crisis.
With widespread destruction across multiple states, PM Modi’s forthcoming visit is expected to focus on assessing relief efforts, expediting central aid packages, and ensuring the swift restoration of critical infrastructure. Officials hinted that the visit could also include high-level meetings with state leadership to coordinate rehabilitation plans and long-term strategies for disaster management in the Himalayan and northern regions.
