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| Gorkha Nagar sitting over a ticking bomb | | Monsoon floods, unconstructed nallah continuously eroding earth, residents fearing catastrophe | |  Masood Malik
Early Times Report
Jammu, Aug 8: Unaware of being struck by any eventuality anytime, the residents of Gorkha Nagar area are sitting over a ticking bomb that can explode anytime.
The heavy populated area which is situated over an elevation adjacent to river Tawi is dangerously prone to get hit by landslide as gushing waters of river Tawi seep deep into the territory during monsoon floods on one side while a nallah which runs through the vicinity has no boundary to contain the roaring flow of water, silt and garbage that submerges the residential areas quite often.
The ignorance on the officials is quite apparent in the area as a 2700 meters long nallah that emerges from the Rajeev Nagar catchment on the upper reach after flowing through Sheikh Nagar, Qasim Nagar and Kalka Colony opens dangerously in Gorkha Nagar before meeting the River Tawi. “There is regular erosion on the banks of the nallah which is widening with each passing day and eroding the soil beneath the residential houses on its banks. This dangerous situation gets multifold when monsoon floods hit the area which every year causes damage to many houses within the vicinity,” said Sham Lal, corporator at Gorkha Nagar. The government few years ago had sanctioned Rs 200 crore to Urban Environmental Engineering Department (UEED) for construction of banks of entire length of 2700 meters of the nallah from Rajeev Nagar Catchment area to river Tawi, but only 1600 meters could be covered through Reinforcement Cement Concrete (RCC) procedure while 500 meters area originating from Rajeev Nagar and 600 meters in the downward area at Gorkha Nagar is still unconstructed that is wreaking havoc. The 1600 meters works completed in 2020.
“I prepared the DPR worth Rs 5.5 crore for remaining construction and have submitted it to JMC while the Deputy Commissioner who visited the site sanctioned Rs 10 lakh to contain the embankment which is not a permanent solution. Nearly 5 houses have been washed away in the recent floods while every year many houses have to suffer damage due to floods,” said Sham Lal.
The residents of Gorkha Nagar are looking forward to seek release of Rs 5.5 crore for completion of the pending work of construction of 600 meters nallah which is open threat to the area and can lead to total collapse of Gorkha Nagar any time.
Residents allege that since the nallah has been trained covering 1400 meters on the upper region across the Bahu Fort road and 200 meters on the lower side , the velocity of the running water turns manifold which brings silt and garbage gushing down to Gorkha Nagar and spreading it far and wide on both the sides.
“The soil erosion is so speedy that earth beneath the houses has caved in as many houses are dangerously supported feebly on the soil. Any strong flood can totally wash out the entire Gorkha Nagar if JMC and administration still keeps sleeping. We are sitting over a ticking bomb,” said Kuldeep Bhushan , a resident of Gorkha Nagar. |
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