Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Aug 29: Unchecked and illegal mining in riverbeds has aggravated the impact of recent floods in Jammu region, weakening natural safeguards and contributing to large-scale destruction of residential areas.
This was stated by former MLC Vikramaditya Singh in a handout.
Singh said, the unprecedented natural calamity has caused massive damage not only to human lives but also to public infrastructure.
He expressed concern over the closure of vital highways and inter-district link roads due to landslides, particularly the damage caused to Lakhanpur barrage and the main bridge over Ravi River.
“Such damage has paralyzed essential connectivity and severely affected supply chains, making life miserable for common people while causing heavy losses to traders and transporters,” he maintained emphasising that man-made factors like rampant illegal mining in rivers have dangerously increased the vulnerability of several areas.
Singh urged strict enforcement of environmental safeguards to prevent such practices from compounding the effects of natural disasters in future.
He further called upon the Government to provide immediate relief to the victims, restore essential services on a war footing and take comprehensive measures to strengthen disaster preparedness so that such losses can be minimized in the times ahead.
Singh expressed grief over the tragic loss of 41 lives in the calamity and extended heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and wished for speedy recovery of the injured.
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