Is it failure of JMC for not desilt the Nallahs and drains in their respective areas before the onset of Monsoon which creates flood situation across Jammu?
Mohd Irfan
With Torrential rains across the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, wreaked havoc resulting in damaged of several properties of the masses and several areas from where distressing visuals emerged which shows that the areas as a whole submerged due to the blockade of drains and the Nallahs. Even several houses across Jammu get damaged also on account of the houses being submerged under water.
As per reports, people of the most of the areas fall under the jurisdiction of Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC), seething with anger against the ruling government that they on one hand beaten the trumpet of making Jammu Smart City, but on the other hand rains puncture their very claims of the smart city.
Whether in Smart City this happened the way flood like situation emerged, our vehicles damaged, houses submerged under water our food items washed away aggrieved and dejected masses of the respective areas mocking at the very claims of the government who otherwise not missed a moment to categorically stated that Jammu very soon going to become Smart City. They rued whether the government compensate us for the losses which we suffered on account of the areas of us being flooded due to the incessant rains, they asked?
Several scenes emerged on the social media which shows that several vehicles which are stationed on the roads they were washed away in the strong currents of water adding, people rued that had the JMC desilted the Nallahs and drains timely before the onset of Monsoon situation would have been different now but alas! JMC miserably failed to discharged It’s mandatory duty which is cast upon its shoulders resultant there in flood situation erupted across Jammu with people expressing their strong resentment against the government for their laxity and lacklustre approach that we faced this horrible flood situation.
JMC has deployed it’s Garbage collecting vans in their respective wards a good initiative to collect garbage from the respective homes every day by paying Rs 100 per month by every households of the Municipal wards. But when it comes to clearing the drains and Nallahs from the muck JMC concerned staff failed to do the same as they shirked from their duties due to which ultimately gullible masses have to bear the brunt for no fault of theirs. Rather babus of the JMC at the helms of affairs required to checked the functioning of lower rung staff members as to whether they are carrying on their duties or not. As these staff members knows fully well that senior officials not came of their cozy rooms of the JMC as such these staff members shirked from their duties which results in precarious situation for the masses to face, what today we are facing just because of the failure of the JMC senior officials that they don’t keep strict vigil on their staff members.
“Government boasts claims of development since the day they taken over reins of power as they used to take pot shots against the successive regimes that they utterly failed to do development across the Jammu and Kashmir” Social activist asking not to be named while launching blistering attack on the government that today flood situation which left the masses to caught in a tizzy on account of unplanned development that led to this awkward situation”, he rued.
Official of the JMC pleading anonymity said, “The corporation has made its best possible efforts to desilt the drains and Nallahs across the Jammu, he categorically stated adding, but given the incessant rains flood situation erupted that is a fact”, he lamented. When asked had your department desilted the drains and Nallahs across the Jammu then this flood like situation would not have to see, official said in front of Intermittent rains even man-made efforts also get failed but we desilted the drains”, he added.
On being asked in Jammu had the drainage system is proper and drains be desilted then this flood situation could be averted as seen in these areas of Jammu city , official divulged that as you know there are several areas where in we found massive encroachments takes place due to which what happened no proper drainage system when water comes in full spate as water don’t get any space to move then it damaged the roads, houses, bridges etc what-ever came in. Not even in Jammu even in Chenab valley and Pir-Panjal enormous loss of public property and loss of lives took place”, he responded to a query of the scribe.