Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Sept 8: Minister for PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control, Sukhnandan Kumar Choudhary today said that Coalition Government after taking reigns of the State in March this year undertook several reformative measures to rebuild the flood damaged infrastructure in Kashmir and other flood hit areas of the State.
The Minister said Government is focused to rehabilitate the flood affected and in this regard the 1st and 2nd relief installments have been provided to the people. He said State Government is expecting a final financial package from the Centre very soon.
The Minister said that I&FC Department undertook a massive task of strengthening and plugging embankments damaged due to the floods. Entire irrigation and flood control network in Kashmir province was badly affected by the devastating floods. The Department took the execution of temporary restoration of damaged infrastructure on war-footing which enabled the department to provide irrigation facilities to Rabi and Kharief crops. He said the department also restored the breaches on River Jhelum and its tributaries.
“Works to the tune of Rs 177.00 crore were executed under SDRF under the Irrigation and Flood Control sectors”, he said and added that out of 1108 damaged Irrigation and PHE infrastructure spots, 625 such works have been restored by utilizing Rs 41.64 crore so far in the Valley.
Giving further details, Sukhnandan said that to remove encroachment on rivers and nallahs, the department demolished 130 pacca structure, 410 kacha structures and 562 boundary walls, adding that over 3.5 lakh trees on the banks of River Jhelum and in different nallahs/canals of Kashmir valley have also been removed so far.
The Minister said that tendering process for dredging of River Jehlum has already been initiated. Meanwhile, department has taken up the work on removal of shoal out of the river beds at various places to increase the carrying capacity of River Jhelum and the flood channel”, he informed.
Minister informed that Government has submitted a comprehensive project of Rs 401 crore for “River Jhelum phase-II” to the centre and the Union Government has approved the funding for the purpose, adding that Rs 151.50 crore have been earmarked for current financial year in this regard.
The Minister said that restoration work on 7 PHE and Irrigation Projects, which was taken up at an estimated cost of Rs.179.46 crore is apace. He said out of these projects, 4 schemes are targeted to be completed during this fiscal. He said in addition, Rs 32.09 crore has been expended on different projects under the SDRF.
He said that Rs 320 crore have been expended on 230 ongoing irrigation schemes and 68 schemes have been completed upto last fiscal. He said Rs 58.85 crore have been earmarked for these schemes during the current financial year.
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