news details |
|
|
| Holy Ban Ganga turns "Ganga Maili" | | Irrigation deptt wreaks havoc; probe on cards | | Bed and banks of Ban Ganga just upstream of the old bathing ghat, the place where water bodies had to be developed, has turned into human defecation ground
Syed Junaid Hashmi
JAMMU, May 22: Dharmari Irrigation Division of Public Heath and Engineering department has come under scanner for having carried out unsatisfactory and sub-standard flood projection works along the banks of Ban Ganga river of the holy township of Katra.
The project has done little to attract pilgrims but has benefited the encroachers who had raised structures which includes shops along the bed of Ban Ganga. Dharmari division of Irrigation department which was tasked with completing flood protection works miserably failed in carrying out the said work at the identified site between Gita Mandir and Balni Bridge in order to prevent damage to public as well private infrastructures developed along banks of Ban Ganga and avert threat to human life, especially pilgrims taking a holy dip in the bathing ghat of Ban Ganga.
Interestingly, division despite having lapsed time could not complete the work even after a span of 5 years of start of the project although 90 percent funds against approved cost and over 100 percent funds against tendered cost stand expended. Further, about 3100 meters of PCC wall against target of 3400 meters has been constructed along banks of Ban Ganga at vulnerable spots.
Such is the mess that protection walls are discontinuous and it is difficult to measure the actual length without availing services of an engineer of the PHE department. The height of the PCC walls, as per the project, has to be 1.50 meters above the bed of the Ban Ganga but physical verification indicates that the height is lesser, especially downstream near Balni Bridge, probably due to deposition of silt and rocks along the walls in the river bed.
Departmental officials of Dharmari Irrigation division claimed that they had laid 123 K-crates instead of 150 approved under the project across the banks of the Ban Ganga. But on verification, there was no visibility of any K-crates at site for these too must have got covered by sands, gravel and rocks deposited on the bed of Ban Ganga due to ferocity of water flow during monsoons.
Four PCC drains of about 20-30 meters length have been constructed for draining the flow of waste water of Katra town into the Ban Ganga. This component of work had not initially been approved under the project but was taken up, according to the officials, to prevent erosion of banks of Ban Ganga at the confluence of drains with Ban Ganga. Those at the helm were never questioned and now, have managed postings in other important sub-divisions.
Six velocity PCC walls have been constructed across the Ban Ganga in its upper section. Water bodies had to be developed by such construction works so that pilgrims could take a dip in the holy water. There are no water bodies since silt and rocks were found deposited in place of water. Even the old bathing ghat on Ban Ganga did not have sufficient water and no pilgrim was found taking holy dip in the Ban Ganga during the day of field visit.
Bed and banks of Ban Ganga just upstream of the old bathing ghat, the place where water bodies had to be developed, is filthy. Banks are being used for defecation in open by humans, probably the pilgrims, local businessmen and labourers. The dung of mules is found smeared on the walking track and also disposed-off at some spots on the banks of the river. This is
the basic reason for the pilgrims for avoiding to take a dip in the polluted water of Ban Ganga. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
