Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 29: Former minister and senior National Conference leader Ajay Kumar Sadhotra today visited the rain hit and waterlogged areas of the Jammu North Assembly constituency and took stock of the situation caused due to heavy downpour for the past few days, posing flood like threat to adjoining residential localities.
“The obtaining situation betrays the tall Government claims of Jammu emerging as a Smart City, as the minimum basics of the civic and other works showing pathetic neglect,” Sadhotra said during his extensive visit of the hugely inundated colony Shiv Vihar Lower Muthi. He expressed his serious concern over the damage of houses, damages of clothes, beddings and eatables like Atta, Chawal, Dals etc. He urged the Government to issue free ration to the victims of heavy rains and losses to their belongings be assessed and adequate relief be given.
Sadhotra said the Government does not seem to have learnt lessons from the experience of the past few monsoons which had laid a ferocious impact on the Nallahs, causing these to overflow. The least the residents had expected was the Government making advance strategies for training the Nallahs, given the colossal damages caused during the past few years, he said and added that the Government apathy, lack of vision and lackadaisical attitude of the line departments have made lives of the inhabitants miserable.
The NC leader questioned the developmental strategy of the Government, especially under the Smart City Project, saying thrust ought to have been on improving the civic amenities and other urban facilities in the left over areas of the city rather than focusing on the areas that could wait. Had the concerned departments planned the schemes as per priority, the present morass like situation could have been averted, he said and lamented over the lack of accountability in the Government.
Sadhotra sought immediate assessment of the areas prone to flash floods, as the monsoon has just begun and the coming days could be very crucial. The engineers from the various line departments should make collective efforts to provide some respite to the people, he said and also called for pressing into service the water draining pumps in the inundated areas and relieve the city dwellers of the irritants of the monsoon.
Sadhotra was accompanied by Raj Roop Singh, Ex Sarpanch; Randhir Singh Chib, Ravi Sharma, Shalu Sharma and Sahil Singh.
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