 Early Times Report
Jammu, Sept 2: District Development Council (DDC) Suchetgarh and senior Congress leader Taranjit Singh Tony today conducted an extensive tour of the flood-affected areas along the Tawi River, including Nikki Tawi and Badi Tawi, Belicharana, where recent rainfall has caused widespread damage, waterlogging, and infrastructural collapse.
Expressing deep concern over the repeated flooding crises faced by residents of Jammu, Tony urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to immediately convene a high-level meeting involving all concerned Ministers of PWD, PHE, Irrigation Power, MLAs, DDCs, and heads of key departments including UEED, Flood Control, Municipality, and Revenue.
“Jammu cannot afford to suffer year after year due to floods. It is time for the administration to wake up. I appeal to Hon’ble Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to take personal initiative and direct all concerned agencies to prepare a comprehensive, long-term flood mitigation plan,” said Tony.
Tony stressed the urgent need to build permanent protection walls along all major nallahs passing through flood-prone areas such as Bathindi, Shankar Nagar, Channi, Nanak Nagar, Rajiv Nagar, Gorkha Nagar, Qasim Nagar, and Gadigarh Chatha. He said these areas face recurrent destruction due to overflowing drains and poor drainage infrastructure.
“Temporary patchwork and seasonal desilting are not enough. We need engineered bunds and flood channels with proper exit points. The next flood must not destroy people’s homes and livelihoods again,” he asserted.
Raising critical infrastructural concerns, Tony highlighted the urgent need to redesign the bridge connecting Miran Sahib to Chatha near SKUAST University, which is overwhelmed every year due to converging water from Balol Nallah and other channels from Bari Brahmana.
He also pointed out a severe design flaw in the 125-meter-long bridge between Bridge Nagar and Gadigarh, where the flood water passage narrows down to just 48 feet, resulting in dangerous backflow and flooding in Chatha and Mangu Chak. He demanded that technical experts be deployed immediately to assess and correct these engineering failures.
Tony called for the construction of flood-resilient roads with protective embankments in high-risk zones such as Chata, Barmini, and adjoining rural belts, emphasizing that without proper flood protection, essential connectivity and safety of residents remain under constant threat.
Tony stated that without proper coordination among departments, the people of Jammu will continue to suffer. He urged the CM to direct all agencies to sit together and prepare a time-bound, inter-departmental action plan that includes drainage overhaul, infrastructure redesign, and modern flood protection systems.
“This is not just an environmental issue — it is about people’s lives, homes, and the future of entire communities. I request the Chief Minister to take decisive leadership and end the suffering of flood-hit Jammu residents once and for all,” Tony concluded. |
