‘Huge investment needed for Jhelum conservation’
High Court takes official report on September floods on record
The Jammu and Kashmir government Monday informed the High Court that adequate investment is required for conservation of river Jhelum including its de-silting and strengthening of embankments.
In a consolidated compliance report filed by Chief Secretary in the court, the government has pointed out that for conservation of the river, huge capital investment is required “as such developmental activities do not fall within the domain of the divisional or district administration.”
The report divulges that “given the global warming and fragile eco-system, the strengthening, widening and re-enforcing of the embankments including de-silting of the river should have been a continuous process.”
Hearing a Public Interest Litigation by Advocate Azhar-ul-Amin seeking action against officials for their alleged negligence during the September-2014 floods, a division bench of Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar and Justice Ali Muhammad Magrey took the compliance report on record.
However, the report revealed that for conservation of river Jehlum, a project was formulated by the Irrigation and Flood Control department with total cost of Rs 79.37 crore under the Urban Infrastructure Governance (JNNURM) programme and submitted to the Secretary, Housing and Urban Development Department on January 18, 2014.
Besides, the report said, a comprehensive Flood Management Project of Rs. 2083.00 crore was submitted to Government of India in 2010 and observations
raised by Central Water Commission thereof were replied to by State Government which included formulation of pre-feasibility report of Dogripora Channel, saying it was supported by flood data of 60 years.
The report further states that Srinagar District Administration prepared another project report for Rs 278.50 crore under the JNNURM for de-congestion of old city which, it said, could also safeguard the river Jhelum from garbage disposal and sewage of the house-holds living alongside Jhelum.
The Housing and Urban Development, the report said, convened a meeting of the State Level Steering Committee (SLSC) under the chairmanship of Minister for Urban Development Department on 7/2/2014 and the committee after discussing and clearing the project, submitted the same to the Ministry of Housing Urban Development, Govt, of India by a special representative of J&K State Urban Infrastructure Dev Agency (SUIDA).
“No headway could be made in the sanctioning of the project due to imposition of model code of conduct and as of now the decision regarding continuance of JNNURM by the present Central Government is pending,” states the report.
In addition to this, the report confirms that proposal of dredging of river Jhelum at the required places is already a part of the comprehensive project submitted to the Govt of India through the I&FC Department.
“However, about Rs 30.00 crores (out of Rs 97.46 crore released by the Government of India against the project as interim) have been incurred on dredging of the outfall of river Jhelum at Baramulla,” the report states.
