STATE TIMES NEWS
POONCH: District Magistrate Poonch M.H Malik has declared 1,022 Kanal of land along the Pulast River as flood zone area and directed the land owners to stop renovation/repair/construction or sale and purchase of the land.
However over 300 flood victims who have lost their houses during the flashflood last year have yet to be rehabilitated. They are still running from pillar to post for compensation. The decision by the district administration to demarcate the flood zore area has faced a strong public anger; even at many places people had a minor scuffle with the revenue staff who demarcated the flood zone area.
It is pertinent to mention here that the flashflood of September 2014 caused a massive damage to over 2,000 houses most of them were illegally constructed in the flood zone areas on the bank of Puilast and Suran rivers.
The district administration has also directed law enforcing agencies to monitor the construction work and take stringent action if orders are violated.
It is pertinent to mention here that due to illegal construction along the Pulast River the renovation of the approach road to the Sher-e-Kashmir Bridge is being disrupted. Most of the structures near the Sher-e-Kashmir bridge were constructed with the connivance of the municipal and revenue officials.
Sources told that some of the flood victims have been planning to challenge the orders in the High Court.
