Srinagar, Aug 16: The Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory government led by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has directed the officials not to allow illegal constructions along the water bodies.
The government has also observed that the attention needs to remove illegal construction along water bodies, aggravating the chances of floods in the Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory.
“We have received the clear directions from the government not to allow the illegal constructions along all the water bodies. The government has observed that authorities have laid great focus on Jhelum River by launching Phase-I, 2nd of Flood Management Programme and removal of illegal constructions, however similar attention needs to be paid towards other rivers and water bodies, which too are threat to contribute floods in the Union territory,” one of the top officials of the Irrigation and flood control department said, wishing not to be named.
He said that on the directions of the government, soon the authorities will launch a forceful drive against illegal structures along the water bodies.
“Illegal constructions that have come up on the wetlands and river banks over the decades are aggravating the chances of floods not only in Srinagar city but in other parts of the Union territory also,” the official said.
It is to mention here that the committee on estimates in its report had said that the irrigation and flood control department should remove all illegal structures along the water bodies with the assistance of police under the directions of the Deputy Commissioner concerned and stern action should be taken against the erring persons.
The committee had also said that in view of topography and requirements/ problems of people, the Irrigation and Flood Control Department should prepare a blueprint for completion of all projects/schemes of major rivers and water bodies in the State.
Following the September 2014 floods, the High Court had directed the government to remove encroachments along the water bodies. After which the government removed constructions on several places on the banks of Jhelum.
The report named ‘Kashmir Floods 2014—Recovery to Resilience,’ released by the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM), Ministry of Home Affairs, had also called for corrective measures to prevent disasters like the 2014 floods. The report had mentioned that unplanned development all across Kashmir could have serious consequences.
The September 2014 floods in Jammu and Kashmir resulted in the death of 300 people. Around two million families were impacted—1.4 million people lost their household assets and livelihoods, 67,000 houses were fully damaged and over 66,000 were partially damaged.
Meanwhile people allege that new constructions have been raised near the flood channel in Srinagar.
A local Srinagar resident said that SMC did not allow them even for minor repairs without proper permission. “I fail to understand how the authorities are allowing constructions for influential people even in flood channels,” Muneer Ahmad a local here in Mehjoor Nagar said.
Meanwhile sources said that along bybpass bemina, scores of illegal constructions have been raised by some influential people. Local residents of Bemina said that someone has raised a four story hospital in the Bemina bypass residential area. “Why the concerned department not taking action in this regard,” said a local wishing not to be named.
