Bashir Assad
SRINAGAR, Sept 16: Kashmir's misfortunes are not abating. Hi-power de-watering equipment has reached Srinagar, but the state does not have the manpower available to operate it, despite the dire need.
The equipment was flown to Srinagar by Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) in two flights over the last three days. However, the political establishment, particularly the chief minister, is at the loss as to who will operate the equipment. The Irrigation and Flood Control Department is paralyzed for lack of staff, including officers, engineers and field workers.
Sources in the Administration told Early Times that on Sunday, when two ONGC high-power pumps reached here, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had to direct the head of a government construction department to install the equipment and oversee the de-watering operation in Raj Bagh.
Meanwhile, the Jhelum bund has breached at 15 points from Amirakadal to Abdullah bridge. Civil Lines areas like Lal Chowk, Court Road, Regal Chowk, Polo View, Municipal Park, Emporium Road, MA Road, Maisuma etc had got flooded because of these breaches, caused by the uncontrolled flow of flood water. The buildings of General Post Office, State Bank of India, J&K Bank Foreign Exchange branch, Grindlays Bank and many buildings have suffered huge damage because of the flood.
Javed Jafer, the Chief Engineer of the Department of Irrigation and Flood Control told Early Times that at least 10,000 sand bags will be required to plug these breaches. "In the current situation, these sand bags will not be available locally. Till the material is available, we have have to use the malba that has collected on the banks of the river to plug the breaches," he said.
Meanwhile, the team of experts installing the high powered pumps was stoned by miscreants. Sources said that the officer received the equipment from Indian Air Force (IAF) in the evening. By the time the officer and his team reached Raj Bagh to install the equipment, it was midnight. Residents of the area thought that some miscreants had come to loot the area at night and pelted them with stones. Sources reveal that the officer's hand was injured by a stone thrown at him. The residents stopped the stone-pelting only after the team shouted that they had come to install the equipment.
The equipment was put to work from 6 am onwards on September 15. The staff of Economic Reconstruction Agency (ERA) operating the equipment revealed that eight inches of water has receded from Raj Bagh after water was pumped out from here.
Two more high power de-watering equipment from ONGC reached Srinagar today morning. Since only the Chief Engineer of the Department of Irrigation and Flood Control is available, the department cannot start using the equipment. The engineers and field staff of the department have not reported for work as yet. |
