PK demands safety audit, accountability for maintenance funds for Jagti
Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Oct 1: Panun Kashmir (PK) demanded immediate safety audit, accountability for maintenance funds and time-bound restoration of migrant quarters at mini township Jagti and other camps inhabited by the genocide survivors. The Jagti township genocide survivors can't...
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 1: Panun Kashmir (PK) demanded immediate safety audit, accountability for maintenance funds and time-bound restoration of migrant quarters at mini township Jagti and other camps inhabited by the genocide survivors.
The Jagti township genocide survivors can't be left to live in unsafe homes, PK chairman, Dr Ajay Chrungoo told reporters here on Thursday along with senior functionaries of the organisation including Daya Krishan, Raj Nath Raina, Pran Koul, Shiban Kichloo and Rajesh Bhagati.
Dr Chrungoo said a team of PK led by him, recently visited Jagti Township, to assess the condition of its tenements and the living conditions of the families there.
He said there was totally disturbing situation in the township as most of the tenements were in poor and deteriorating condition, with the upper floors badly affected. Besides, cracks in the walls are visible even from outside, while fungus, dampness and seepage have spread across large portions of the structures, broken windows and deteriorated wooden frames were found in many quarters, he added.
He said the condition inside the tenements is equally alarming. Persistent seepage, foul smell, dampness, deteriorating plaster and damaged walls have made several quarters increasingly unfit for habitation. Bathrooms and latrines require immediate repair to restore basic sanitary conditions, he added.
Dr Chrungoo said the condition of the roof slabs is main concern. Cracks are visible at several places, creating serious apprehension about the safety of the buildings and the people living there.
``This cannot be dismissed as ordinary wear and tear, he said, adding, these are homes in which genocide-survivors have been compelled to live for nearly two decades''.
He said the authorities cannot wait for a roof to collapse or a preventable casualty to occur before assessing the safety of the buildings.
Dr Chrungoo urged the Government of the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir to immediately constitute a competent and technically qualified committee to assess the structural safety of every residential block in Jagti Township.
The condition of Jagti also raises a serious question regarding the funds sanctioned for its maintenance and upkeep.
PK further demanded that the Government disclose the funds sanctioned and released for Jagti's maintenance over the past decade, the expenditure incurred, the works undertaken, the agencies responsible and the mechanism through which such expenditure was monitored.
