125 mtr long embankment at Tawi Island broken, many villages under threat of flash floods: Sukhnandan
Dozens of villages cutoff as road washed away near Gajansoo Nai Basti
STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Seeking prompt action from the administration for repair of damaged road which connects dozens of villages at Nai Basti Gajansoo and re-construction of embankment along Tawi Island at Marh, wherein over 125 meters of embankment with three layers washed away in flash floods, former Minister and senior BJP leader, Choudhary Sukhnandan Kumar on Wednesday appealed for immediate start of construction work on these two sites so that problems faced by villagers can be sorted out.
Many villagers used this Gajansoo Nai Basti Pangrod Chardgali road for supply of vegetables to various parts of the J&K UT, said Sukhnanda Kumar, who personally visited the spot, adding, “The 600 meters embankments was constructed during my tenure as PHE, flood & Irrigation Minister and today in flash flood this 125 metres embankments having three layers has been washed away causing serious threat to the adjoining villages particularly Channi and Nandani.”
“If this work is not started at an earliest, this will cause major damages,” said Sukhnandan Kumar.
“As far as the road at Gajansoo Nai Basti is concerned, this road connects many villages upto the border area, I appeal to the government to restore this road so that people may not suffer. This road is the only option to move out from over two dozen villages including Pangol, Chagradhu, Gujjar Basti Belli Pakaya and Mata Di Talli in Marh area,” said the former minister.
Others who visited Tawi Island with the former minister include AEEs Gopal Krishan and Rahul Kotwal, Tehsildar Pankaj Bahu and Kuldeep Singh, Nambardar Vikram Singh, Daljeet Singh, Swaran Singh and others.
Sukhnandan also appealed to the government to stop the working of stone crushers along the Tawi river banks which causes more damage.
“Even the mining from these areas should also been banned as the week embankments are always a threat to the villagers during monsoon season, suggested the former minister Sukhnandan Kumar, adding “even the licensed mining must be only from the beds of the rivers not from the embankments.”
Sukhnandan advised all the concerned engineers and the senior officers to implement the mining rules and conditions so that we can save human lives, cattle and crops from damages in flash floods in near future.”
“Along with the senior officers of rural development and revenue department I am again visiting these spots on Thursday to apprise them of the problems of locals,” Sukhnandan said.
