Jahangeer Ganaie
Anantnag, Jul 14: The road along the Jhelum river in the Batengoo village of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district has developed cracks, leading to fear among the residents.
The panicked locals said that they fear about the water entering into their houses in case of any breach. They sought the immediate attention of the authorities and urged them to start repairing the road on a war-footing basis to save lives and properties.
The residents said they noticed the cracks expanding in the road constructed along the Jhelum embankment for the last four days.
If the water level increases, the embankment could cave in, thereby putting the lives and properties of the village in danger, they said. “We had taken up the matter with the concerned authorities many times but nothing was done so far to ensure the safety of the embankment,” said Shakeel Ahmad, a local.
The residents alleged that the damaged embankment is further sinking due to unabated, uncontrolled and unscientific sand extraction in the river. They demanded immediate intervention from the district administration.
Meanwhile, a team from the Irrigation & Flood Control Department on Thursday visited the spot and assured the locals that all possible steps will be taken for their safety.
An official, who was part of the team, said that the road along the Jhelum has developed fissures and all possible steps will be taken for the safety of locals along with their properties.
“This portion is part of the Jhelum Flood Management Plan that has been already approved and is waiting for a technical section. Though that will take time, steps will be taken for immediate redressal of the issue,” he said.
