Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Aug 3: President All India Jat Maha Sabha (AIJMS) J&K Choudhary Manmohan Singh toured the flood affected areas.
He was accompanied by Additional District Development Commissioner Arvind Kotwal and Tehsildar Ramgarh Kamal Preet Singh. They toured damaged protection work site along border fencing of villages Kamore Forward, Rangoor, Barotta, Keso and Ballergate to check the situation caused by flood in the absence of working protection bunds.
“I along with Sarpanchs met the concerned authorities and Governor Satya Pal Malik sanctioned Rs 14.80 crore for the construction of the protection buds in the areas where insistent rains had caused flood and destroyed the land viz crops”, Choudhary Manmohan Singh told the ADDC and Tehsildar.
“Out of sanctioned funds, tender work amounting to only Rs 1 crore approximately was, rest has yet to be utilized. The work should have been completed before the monsoon season but the progress was delayed due to slow work. Due to the negligence on part of flood related authorities, about 8 villages are suffering and facing financial ruins today. The protection bunds constructed previously got washed out 5 years ago. A disaster management unit should have been active to intervene at a proper time, moreover the authorities should have kept an eye on the protection bund project to see its timely completion”, Choudhary Manmohan Singh added.
President requested ADDC to prevent any further loss they should divert the river channel to curtail the flow of river from these areas.
“For this higher authority could arrange a meeting with the IG BSF and CO Army to take the security cover at the working time, he said, adding that there should be a provision for the safety of the people living in far villages and a committee should be constituted, which see the welfare of these people.
ADDC called upon the Xen, AEE and related engineers on the site and ordered them to accelerate the tender process and provide him daily progress reports.
Among others present were Choudhary Prem Pal Ex-Sarpanch and senior leader, Choudhary Kali Dass Sarpanch, Choudhary Rashpal singh, Choudhary Jeeta, Choudhary Raj Kumar, Choudhary Darshan Singh and Choudhary Rakesh.
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