Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 26: Claiming that the recent unprecedented floods in Kashmir valley, particularly in Srinagar city, could have been prevented, BJP State spokesperson & senior leader Farooq Khan said that the floods which caused unprecedented destruction in Srinagar city was the result of a “manmade disaster” as has been confirmed by flood control experts, including senior retired engineers.
Addressing media persons at Party Headquarters, along with other leaders, Khan said that it was because of vested interests that three State Government departments, ERA, supervised by CM directly, R&B headed by Abdul Majid Wani as Minister and Flood Control Department working under Irrigation & Flood Control Minister, Sham Lal Sharma, for the reasons best known to them decided to partially block the flood channel in Srinagar city at Mehjoor Nagar by constructing a road across it as a part of road diversion, thereby causing a back flow of flood waters which were flowing through flood channel.
He said as per expert opinion, this road cum dam caused more than 20 per cent blockade to the flood waters, creating a back flow, which ultimately over flooded the bund near Kursoo, resulting into flooding of maximum localities of Srinagar city, with Rajbagh and Jawahar Nagar being worst hit. This, coupled with delayed opening of gates of Dal compounded the flood situation. All this happened when the flood waters first noticed to cross the danger mark at Sangam took seven hours to reach Srinagar city, thereby giving enough time to the Government machinery, especially essential and emergency services, to prepare and respond to the coming danger, he added.
He said the State Government and its machinery miserably failed to react and this led to a situation which has no parallel in the history of State with the people of Srinagar city still marooned in many localities.
Mr Khan said in order to find the causes of this manmade disaster and to fix the responsibility an impartial “Commission of Inquiry” by a sitting or retired judge of Supreme Court has become all the more important.
State General Secretary Kavinder Gupta, State Spokesperson Balbir Ram Rattan, Ex-Servicemen Cell State convenor Brig (retd). Anil Gupta, and BJP leader S.S. Bijral were present in the press conference.
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