Gopal Sharma
JAMMU, Mar 11: A population of over 28,000 souls, residing in 45 Tawi Island villages of Phallain Mandal and Suhanjana of Marh constituency, bordering Pakistan are cut off as both Nikki Tawi bridge as well as a Pantoon bridge raised by Army authorities as temporary measures have been washed away in floods.
While half portion of Nikki Tawi bridge, connecting Island near Satwari was washed away during September 2014, floods; a Pantoon bridge raised by Army authorities as emergency measures near this damaged bridge, got washed away in flash flood hardly ten days back. There is no connectivity to the people of this sensitive border belt and even the Army supply vehicles are also facing lot of problems as several Units have been deployed there at this border corner with Pakistan.
A large number of students and Government employees have to move through the river on-foot and then catch bus or mini-bus from Satwari side or Belicharana near Army dairy farm to reach their destination. Many vehicles are struck on that side of the river for the last many days. There is strong resentment among the people of this area against the Government and they allege that even after the lapse of six months, the State Government has failed to start construction work on the existing half bridge or take up process to construct new double- lane bridge on Nikki Tawi to connect these 45 Island villages.
Since this bridge is very vital as per defence point of view, the Army authorities took initiative and raised Pantoon bridge near the damaged bridge in October last year with the assurance from the civil administration that work on new bridge would start shortly. But neither restoration work on the damaged bridge commenced, nor the process to construct new bridge at the site was started by the concerned R&B authorities. With the result, the people of the area including several Sarpanches have now resolved to launch a massive agitation within couple of days to press for their demand of bridge at the site.
Former MLA from Marh and senior Congress leader, Balwan Singh when contacted said that strong resentment is brewing among the people of Phallain Mandal and Suhanjana Island belt as they have now been totally cut off from rest of the country. After September 2014 floods, the area was cut off as the main bridge on river Nikki Tawi, was washed away. But now the Army bridge has also been washed away. The Government has failed to connect this area as an emergency measure and the people have been made to suffer.
Sarpanch Gulzar Singh said about three decades back, over 70 % discharge of water was through Baddi Tawi and hardly 30 % through Nikki Tawi. But over the period of time many influential people including politicians, bureaucrats and a few businessmen grabbed huge land along Baddi Tawi and they also raised crates with the help of Flood Control department. Even, few years back, flow of water was diverted from Baddi Tawi to Nikki Tawi by raising channel. During September floods, most of the flood water moved down through Nikki Tawi and it washed away the bridge. The District and the Divisional Administration never took serious note of this issue. There are stranding directions and rather ban by the J&K High Court, on illegal constructions along the banks of rivers/ nallahs but there is no implementation on the ground. The September floods exposed the authorities sleeping over the issue. The water discharge capacity in Baddi Tawi has been reduced through encroachments and the result was before the Government.
Sarpanch Saudagar Singh Saini demanded that till the construction work on the new bridge on Nikki Tawi is started, an alternate connectivity to the Island through the space between the two sides of fourth Tawi bridge be provided. He said nearly 45 villages fall in this island and they are part of Marh constituency while only three villages namely Surey Chak, Mukre and Dandpur fall in Raipur-Domana Assembly constituency. The population of this belt is nearly 28,000 and voters may be around 18,000 plus. He said many people of the area approached him to lead the agitation and it would be started within two days. Government is responsible for its attitude of neglect, he maintained.
Superintending Engineer R&B Jammu-Samba-Kathua Circle, S P Manhas when contacted claimed that Government has sanctioned Rs 20.5 crores for the construction of double-lane bridge over Nikki Tawi, just upstream the existing old bridge near Satwari. He said the work has been entrusted to the JKPCC by the R&B department and the work on this new 300 mt long bridge will be commenced within one month.
The SE further disclosed that the project has already been cleared by the Government and JKPCC would start tender work shortly. The soil test work has already been taken up and this bridge is expected to be completed within 24 months or may be earlier. By then, the R&B department would try to provide alternate connectivity to the Island villages, he added.
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