Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, June 4: The Parliamentary Standing Commi-ttee on Water Resources today described the last year’s floods in the State as a national disaster and said that national resources are needed for relief and rehabilitation of the affected people.
The head of the 31-member delegation of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Water Resources, Member Parliament, Hukum Singh, told a news conference here today at the conclusion of 4-day visit to the State: “I feel it was a national disaster and only national resources can address the problems. It cannot be done by the State Government.”
The MP said the State Government cannot address the problems on its own and needs support from the Centre. “There is a dire need of funds here because the State Government perhaps cannot do it on its own. The committee has taken an assessment of the situation and recommended more help from the Centre,” he said.
Singh said that the committee has made its assessment and will give recommendations to Parliament. “We have taken our assessment and we will give our recommendations to the Parliament and we will try to keep our recommendations to the point so that more and more help comes from the Central Government,” he said.
The MP said that the rehabilitation should be a top priority of the Government and there is an opportunity to remove the encroachments on the rivers and flood-spill channels as well. “Rehabilitation is a top priority. Those who have not yet resettled in their houses, should be able to do so sooner. And there also is an opportunity for the Government now to remove the encroachments,” he said.
Singh said a comprehensive flood-protection mechanism needs to be put in place in the State to avert such disasters in future.
The Chairman of the committee said that they will recommend to the Centre for granting liberal funding to the State to address both the immediate concerns of relief and rehabilitation and implement a long term strategy for flood protection.
During its meeting with the State Government, Singh said that the Committee was told that the State Government has submitted a proposal for flood management under “Priority works-Comprehensive plan of Flood Management works on Jhelum-Phase-I in Kashmir” at an estimated cost of Rs 399.29 crores. “The proposal has been approved by the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) of Union Ministry of Water Resources, the Committee was informed”, he said.
“The State Government has also projected a comprehensive plan for creation of small storage on the tributaries of the river Jhelum, creation of additional supplementary flood channel. It also requested for providing Rs 20 crore immediately for the studies and formulation of Detailed Project Report (DPR) for Comprehensive Flood Management Project within the Prime Minister’s Special Package”, said the MP.
Singh said: “The State functionaries projected that the existing water bodies wetlands and lakes like Narkara, Khushalsar, Anchar, Gilsar, Hokersar, Nowgam Jheel, Haigam and Wullar lake be dredged immediately to mitigate future anticipated flood discharge.”
The chairman of the committee said that the State Government projected for reverting to 90:10 funding pattern for effective implementation of flood management programme in the State. It also called for similar pattern of funding for major, medium and minor irrigation schemes in the State.
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