The recent rains it appears have watered down the dream of getting Smart cities for Jammu and Kashmir further. The current monsoon season is yet not over. The trail of damage it had left in Jammu last week tells volumes about the blatant violations and wanton encroachments made. The government has been a silent spectator to the loot carriedout by the people. In some of the areas people even did not spare the seasonal drains and Nallahs and have built houses in their natural course resulting in damages which people never would have dreamt of. The mushrooming growth and unchecked expansion of Jammu with no master plan in work is the culprit. Consider the situation in Gurgaon, Mumbai, Bengaluru after the recent rains that led to water-logging of key roads, resulting in long hours of traffic jam, commuters were left with little choice other than sleeping in their cars or abandoning their vehicles and walking home in knee-deep water. Though Jammu did not face such a piquant situation but the large scale destruction of roads and lanes, tells the story. The rain washed away many roads, including at Roop Nagar and Janipur, and many other roads had developed potholes in all localities of Jammu. The rainwater entered many houses and shops, damaging property of people in different localities. Roads in Jammu were worst affected after the heavy rain that lashed the city. This condition of the roads after the rain has raised a question mark over the functioning and work being done by the PWD in Jammu. The city roads were macadamised last year for which Rs 50 crore was announced by the then Chief Minister and PWD Minister. The department had completed repairs in major areas of the city like Janipur, New Plot, Talab Tillo, Patta Bohri, Satwari Chowk to the Women’s College, Mubarak Mandhi, Radio Station, Moti Bazaar, Purani Mandi, City Chowk, Shaheedi chowk, DC Office, Residency Road, Gandhi Nagar, Green Belt and Railway Station Road. Civic body will do its work of repairing roads and damaged structures and lanes and public memory will erase the sad episode but as far as individuals are concerned some inherent fear would persist.
