PIL highlighting havoc due to flash floods
*Expresses displeasure over non-serious approach
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 5: Expressing displeasure over non-serious approach towards control of floods in River Tawi despite creation of Jehlum Tawi Flood Recovery Project (JTFRP) way back in the year 2016, Division Bench of the High Court comprising First Puisne Judge Justice Rajesh Bindal and Justice Sindhu Sharma has sought the personal appearance of the Chief Executive Officer of JTFRP on the next date of hearing along with all the details.
While hearing the much publicized PIL filed by inhabitants of villages Barjala and Khandwal (Nikki Tawi area) through Gurdev Singh, son of Mehtab Singh of Khandwal and Ghulam Nabi Sheikh, son of Mukhta Sheikh of Barjala highlighting damage caused annually to the villages in Nikki Tawi area, the Division Bench, in the open court, expressed deep concern over the indifferent attitude of the officers of the Irrigation and Flood Control Department.
“Insensitivity of the officers is writ large as in year 2014 there were huge floods in rivers Tawi and Jhelum. About six years are going to pass but till date no permanent solution has been found. Annually temporary solutions are put in place wasting crores of rupees”, the DB observed.
Advocate Sheikh Shakeel Ahmed with Advocates Rahul Raina, Supriya Chouhan and Mohd Zulkarnain Chowdhary appearing for the petitioner submitted that I&FC Department except laying down the crates annually has not done anything concrete to avert the damage caused annually to more than 40 villages in Nikki Tawi area due to flash floods.
He further submitted that 90% of the discharge is towards the Nikki Tawi which was few years back was just an Irrigation Canal and negligible discharge is in Badi Tawi. He drew the attention of the Division Bench towards status report filed by Monitoring and Appraisal Directorate Central Water Commission Jammu wherein it was pointed out that because of non-removal of certain deficiencies by the Jammu Development Authority to a project costing Rs.375.732 crore plus Rs.31.962 crore, the same was deleted from the list of appraisal by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India.
Advocate Ahmed vociferously argued that the officers responsible for wastage of such a big project are required to be identified so that their responsibility is fixed.
After considering the submissions of Advocate S S Ahmed, DB directed that the court shall also be apprised of the fact as to why various agencies/expert bodies in the Government of India were not consulted and proper response was not given to the queries raised by the Central Water Commission.
At this stage, Deputy Advocate General K D S Kotwal appearing for Irrigation and Flood Control Department submitted that they have engaged a Consultant to guide for the ways and means to control the floods in two rivers i.e. Tawi and Jhelum.
On this, the Division Bench directed that the Chief Engineer Irrigation and Flood Control Department Jammu who was present in person in the court to remain present on the next date of hearing along with Chief Executive Officer Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery Project.
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