Jahangeer Ganaie
Srinagar, Sep 14: The completion of flood management plan phase-2 is likely to take time as fund flow from the Central Government hasn’t been upto the mark as just around 100 crores have been released out of around 1300 crores in last one year.
A senior official of the irrigation and flood control said that completion of phase-2 of comprehensive flood management plan is likely to take time as fund flow is slow and it is expected to take more time three years given for its completion.
“Every project completion depends upon flow of funds but as of now fund flow is slow, however, the department is working to complete the project as soon as possible,” he said.
He said that the 40 metre widening of the river Jhelum is to be done from Nigli Sopore to Khanpora bridge in Baramulla which is around 19 kilometres.
“To start work, we need acquisition of land and structures as it is touching Sopore town at some spots and some other habitations,” he said. “Demarcation process with the revenue department has been started already following which an assessment process about the land and structures will be done.”
He said that at some spots, the official said that there is government land which needs to be acquired and for what we have sought directions from concerned authorities.
“As per initial assessment, land and structure acquisition will cost around Rs 300 Cr,” he said. “Once the demarcation process along with assessment work will be completed, the widening work of 40 metres for about 19 kilometres costing around Rs 500 Cr will be tendered out.”
He said that widening of river Jhelum in North Kashmir is one of the main work of the flood mitigation plan phase 2 as widening work along acquisition is expected to cost around Rs 750-800 crore.
He said that works costing around Rs 340 crore which are part of phase second have been tendered out and work has been already started at most of the spots.
“With the completion of phase-2 the capacity of river Jhelum will go to 60,000 cusecs, which has been already taken to 40,000 in the phase 1,” he said.
He said that the deadline to complete the phase 2 is three years and if fund flow picks up pace and the acquisition process will be completed in the next few months, it will be completed in three years time.
Notably, Flood Management Plan was divided into two phases, phase 1 was funded under the Prime Minister’s Development Package with a budget of Rs 399 crore, which included spot dredging as per requirement to increase the capacity of river Jhelum so as to minimize the damage if there will be floods again.
Soon after floods in 2014, the government of India had constituted a committee to suggest measures to prevent such calamities in the future.
The committee in its report had recommended several long term measures including additional supplementary flood spill channel, creation of storage facilities on tributaries of Jhelum, flood plain zoning and enhancing capacity of Wular Lake.
