Rehan Qayoom Mir
Srinagar, Sep 10: Chief Minister Advisor’s and senior National Conference leader Nasir Aslam Wani on Wednesday said that the funds allocated for flood mitigation measures following the 2014 catastrophe must be audited and their utilization thoroughly investigated.
Wani, while talking to reporters on the sidelines of a function at the Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST) Awantipora, according to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) said, “We need to review how the funds received at the time of the 2014 floods were spent.”
He said, “We are not opposing anyone here, but we are directly connected to this issue, and we should know what measures were taken. Even today, if you look, there is a complete list of what needed to be done after the 2014 flood. We need to review which of those actions were actually taken to protect Kashmir. That also needs to be considered.”
He added that after the calamity Kashmir endured in 2014, a flood mitigation plan was supposed to be implemented. “We will talk about how far we have brought that plan forward and discuss what needs to be done so that such a situation does not arise again. Experts will advise us on the measures that need to be taken,” Wani said.
The Chief Minister’s Advisor said that the flood threat has become a persistent problem for Jammu and Kashmir, as the region faces a flood-like situation after every rainfall. “Whether it’s because our rivers have insufficient capacity, or our primary flood channels need to be cleared, or our outfall channels need to be expanded and these all need to be included in an integrated flood mitigation program. And as I have said before, we will bring a renewed and expedited plan soon, and we will present it,” he said.
