Jammu, July 14
It seems that the Jammu Municipal Corporation is not bothered about the monsoon as a majority of drains are still choked, making various localities vulnerable to a flood-like situation.

There are around 50 flood drains in the city and a majority of them are blocked, which restrict the free flow of rainwater. Though the monsoon has already arrived in the state, the Jammu Municipal Corporation is not prepared to cope with the situation.

One can gauge the situation from the condition of drains in Nai Basti (Shastri Nagar), Last Morh (Gandhi Nagar), Jewel Chowk, and Digiana Pully. In all these localities, drains are choked with polythene bags, heaps of garbage, rags and plastic remains, thus posing a threat of flood-like situation in these areas.

The heaps of garbage accumulated in these drains have been restricting the free flow of water for the past few months. A foul stench emanates from the stagnant water, making it difficult for passersby to walk along the drain.

Expressing resentment, Meenakshi Rajput, a resident of Nai Basti, says, “Every year, during the rainy season, water overflows the drain. This drain always remains choked with garbage but the authorities do not bother to clean it on a regular basis. In order to avert the flood-like situation this year, the authorities should get them cleaned immediately”.

Pointing towards a chocked drain, Viney Chouhan, a resident of Last Morh, says, “This drain is a health hazard for us. The level of accumulated garbage has been increasing with each passing day in this drain, but the corporation is indifferent towards this problem”.

“The drain has become a breeding ground for flies and mosquitoes. It can also lead to the spread of various diseases in the area. The authorities should immediately launch a massive sanitation drive to prevent the risk of flood in the area,” says Vishal Kumar, a resident of Digiana.

The authorities of the Jammu Municipal Corporation claim that every day they depute 60 labourers through an NGO for the cleaning of nullahs/flood drains, but the councillors of various localities allege that the workforce is insufficient and there is a need to depute more labourers.

In a council meeting this month, many councilors expressed concern for their areas and highlighted that the blocked drains in their areas could invite trouble during the monsoon. They said as per the norms of the corporation, the authorities should depute around 80 to 120 labourers instead of 60 for the cleaning of these drains every day.

Mayor Kavinder Bushan Gupta mentioned that the work of cleaning of big drains was going on in the city and assured that all drains would be made garbage free within a week.

Jammu, July 14
Even as the state government has asked government and private agencies not to dig up newly constructed roads for at least three years for any purpose, the regulation is being openly violated at many places in Jammu.

In various localities of the city, including the ever-busy BC road and Gandhi Nagar, various construction agencies are busy digging up roads for putting in place either a drainage system or a telephone network or water pipelines.

“In the entire city, you will not find a place where the work of digging up of roads or streets is not going on. This results in traffic jams, besides causing a lot of problems for pedestrians,” said Shubam Chaudhary, a local resident.

People allege that the construction agencies leave the dug up roads for several days, putting the locals to great inconvenience. The dug up roads also become a cause of accidents.

“On the BC road, almost an entire portion of the road has been dug up. People are facing a lot of problems as the entire traffic has been diverted to one side. All this has resulted into frequent traffic congestions and road accidents,” said Vishal Mehra, another resident.

The residents say they do not find a place to walk freely as most of the roads are covered with silt and other material that comes out after the digging work.

“You can find huge drain pipes lying along the roadsides. The situation is worst in the congested areas of the city, particularly the roads surrounding the civil secretariat where one cabinet minister regularly holds public meetings,” said Sanjay Aggarwal, a resident of the Pucca Danga locality.

Official sources said all such works were being carried out before the biannual Darbar move.

“Efforts are on to expedite the work. People might have to face some inconvenience at this stage, but the work is going on keeping in view the overall development of the region,” an official source said.

Gandoh (Doda), July 14
Notwithstanding claims of the successive state governments to accelerate developmental activities in the remotest areas of the Jammu province, the Gandoh belt of Doda district exposes all claims of the authorities to take “revolutionary” steps for the development and betterment of the neglected and the remote areas.

The Gandoh belt is an evidence that except slogans the authorities failed to provide even necessities like electricity, education, health facilities, drinking water and road connectivity. If one goes deep in the remote areas of Doda district, the real picture exposes claims of the authorities.

Although Gandoh is the native place of former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, majority of the villages in this belt lack facility of drinking water, electricity and road connectivity. One has to regularly track a distance of not less than 5 km on foot to reach the road.

About a dozen villages in the Gandoh belt, comprising a population of 30,000, solely depend upon a wooden bridge which cannot bear burden of more than three persons at one time. This wooden bridge is known as Shoran-Chalai Bridge and constructed under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) scheme.

The bridge erected on Shoran Nullah connects Chalai, Noor Bagh, Betyas, Dadkai, Kanta, Kota, Dadkai-B, and Malikpura and some other villages.

Dadkai village is known for deaf and dumb population and teams of expert regularity visit this hamlet to check out strategy for rehabilitation of such families. “Outsiders, who visit our belt, are surprised to see road connectivity in this area,” Abdul Rashid, a resident of Shoran, told The Tribune while pointing towards the condition of the bridge which is the only means to connect such a large number of population with the rest of the world.

“When Ghulam Nabi Azad became the Chief Minister, we hoped that our problems would be minimised,” recalled Noor Mohammad, adding that, “Nothing has changed so far.” From time to time several politicians have fooled the Doda people and promised them that they will fulfil their demands. But once they got the vote and become MLAs and MPs, they did not return to these rural areas till the next election.

With every passing problems of the inhabitants of this belt have been increasing but promises of the politicians remained only on paper.

“Our problems and demands remain unsolved and unfulfilled. We have been crying and trying to raise our voice, but our voices remained unheard,” rued Liquat Ali, a resident of Noor Bagh.

Jammu, July 14
A drainage project undertaken by the Jammu Municipal Corporation through the Urban Environmental Engineering Department (UEED) has been giving sleepless nights to a resident of Durga Nagar Enclave, Sector 1, ward no. 64.

The drain has been left incomplete near the house of BL Dhar due to which wastewater of the entire area gets accumulated there and subsequently gets absorbed around the plinth of his house.

“For the past more than two months, I could not sleep as I fear that my house might collapse soon due to the drain water which is getting absorbed into its plinth,” said Dhar, who is a bronchitis patient.

Due to the fear of getting his ailment aggravated owing to the foul smell emanating from this incomplete drain, he has approached the UEED several times for getting the drain constructed speedily in view of the approaching rainy season, but all his requests have fallen on deaf ears.

The wastewater of more than 100 houses flows down the drain and gets accumulated into a ditch dug up in front of the main gate of his house and gets absorbed in the plinth. The drain has become a cause of agony for him and his family.

He alleged that the project had not been conceived properly and the work had been executed without considering the topography of the area due to which it had been left halfway causing tremendous problems to him and his neighbours.

While carrying out the construction of the drain, water connections of several houses got disrupted, which have not been corrected so far due to which the residents are suffering a lot and are getting potable water through Public Health and Engineering department’s water tankers.

“The UEED has disrupted our water supply pipelines while constructing the drain. Around 20 households are facing an acute shortage of potable water. The shortage of funds is being quoted as the reason by the department for not reconnecting these water connections,” said Prem Nath Pandita, a resident of the colony.

Dhar said, “Not only the water connections but also the telephone services were affected. Somehow I managed to restore my telephone within a week but water connections are still disrupted in the area”.

This 7-ft deep and 1.5-ft wide drain has also become a cause of accidents in the area. Ashok Kumar, a resident, had received bruises when he recently fell into this uncovered drain.

Sheela Handoo, councilor of the area, alleged that the drain had been ill conceived and it had been constructed by the UEED to swindle the exchequer. She said there was no terminal point due to which the work had been stopped at Dhar’s house.

Handoo said, “People are suffering a lot due to the disrupted water supply and if the connections are not restored immediately, we may come on roads to protest”.

The councilor mentioned that municipal commissioner Mubarak Singh had assured her that he would conduct a thorough investigation into the matter.

While denying the allegations, JC Megi, executive engineer, UEED, said the work had been stopped due to the shortage of construction material and the lack of funds. He, however, assured that the work would be resumed within a week after the release of funds from the government.

A sizable population residing near the forests in Billawar village of Kathua district has been living under the scare of attacks by wild animals.

Forest fires have not only destroyed precious vegetation but also driven wild animals into human habitats in the search of food. The incidents of killings of livestock are on the rise and humans might also be targeted if corrective measures are not taken immediately.

Bilawar residents claim that a minimum of five leopards are active in the area. As per the information from locals, at least nine domestic animals have been killed so far.

The wild animals ventured out into the village after a major forest fire broke out in the forest range in the Bala-Sundri belt surrounding Billawar a few weeks ago.

The leopards have been spotted in the upper belt of the Billawar area. The residents prefer to stay indoors after evening because it is the time when these wild animals come out in the search of food.

“Many incidents of domestic animals being preyed upon by leopards have been reported in the town and the nearby villages. After 7 pm, we mostly prefer to stay inside, but it is not possible to remain indoors all the time,” says Channo Devi, a resident of the Thandi area.

“Leopards have dragged many cattle from the village. Calves, dogs, lambs and goats are their preferred prey. Now, we are under panic as the authorities are neither taking any action nor have they chalked out any measures to monitor the attacks by these wild animals”, says Darshna Devi of ward no. 1.

“Only a week ago, a leopard attacked a cattle shed in our neighborhood and killed a calf.”

Meanwhile, forest officials admit that many such incidents have taken place but no formal complaint has been received so far.

“There are incidences of attacks by wild animals. Recently, an incident took place in ward no. 1, Billawar, where a calf and a pet dog were killed,” says Bhupinder Singh Biloria, forest in charge, Billawar, and a resident of ward no. 1.

“The pine forest in Billawar and the nearby area has been under fire for more than a month due to which wild animals have been venturing out into the residential areas. The forests are divided into compartments and as per reports, compartments 45 and 46, which cover the Bala-Sundari belt; compartment 19, which covers the Sukrala belt; and compartment 15 in the Kough area have been completely destroyed by fires,” says Biloria.

He reveals, “Forest fires are mostly manmade and a constant monitoring near the forest area is necessary to control such incidences. Sometimes, fire can be accidental also. Prolonged dry season is also a reason. In some cases, conifers (pine fruit) striking with rolling stones from a height can also cause a fire,” explains the official.

Kathua, July 14
While rains lashed almost the entire Jammu region this Friday, Kathua district kept playing hide-and-seek with clouds only to be left high and dry. The continuous dry spell has been playing havoc with rain-fed water reservoirs - the traditional water sources in the villages.

City residents in particular and those residing along the banks of Kashmir canal - a tributary of Ravi, are thankful to it. To take respite from scorching summer, they take a dip into it besides farmers use its water for irrigation and dairy purposes.

But, people living in far-off villages like Palel, Baday Naal and Doonga are not so fortunate. They are searching for water sources for drinking and for their cattle besides other household chores.

The villages, comprised at least one hundred households, do not have any hand-pumps or water supply by the PHE department. The traditional ponds have gone dry due to searing temperature further aggravating their woes.

These villages don’t have any road connectivity with rest of the areas. Due to dry spell, the seasonal Ujj river, at least 2-3 km from these villages, has almost dried up.

“We are accustomed of drinking stagnant and muddled water from this seasonal river. It happens every summer as ponds go dry,” said 70-year-old Shanto, who walks down 3 km to riverside and then treks 3 km up to her home with a pitcher weighing around 6 kg mounted on her head.

Being inhabited by people of “lower castes” the villagers allege social exclusion. “Even after 60 years of independence the government could not provide us with safe drinking water, can be expect quality education for our children or jobs for our youth,” asked villagers adding that, “During elections, politicians storm into villages with promises of roads, water, health facilities but once it is over, they go into hibernation.”

These villages are around 3 km from Gati, from where one has to trek for 3 km to reach there. However, from the national highway up to Gati there is a dusty and bumpy road and the village got hand pumps only 5 years back.

While ponds in the villages have almost dried up and now they are worried about their livestock as it is solely dependent on these water reservoirs.

“Ponds have been a major source of water in these rain-fed areas. But at present either they are parched or drying up at an alarming rate.

There is only one pond for the cattle to drink. If we don’t get rain that too will dry up like other water reservoirs,” said Beli Ram, a senior villager.

Jammu, July 14
The Tawi that supplies potable water to almost the entire Jammu city, was a few days ago on the verge of drying up following the dry spell and the delayed monsoon. However, after moderate rain lashed the city, the river has again been recharged.

Popularly known as ‘Surya Putri’ (daughter of Sun God), the Tawi supplies potable water to most parts of the city.

“Had the dry spell continued for some more time, we would have been worried about the supply of water to the entire city, but the moderate downpour in the region has again recharged the flow of water in the river,” a senior official of the Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department said.

The PHE department had installed two-high power intake pumps in the Sitlee Water Lifting Plant that takes water from the river and pumps it to the filtration plant which supplies water to the city.

The department has also been constructing a third intake pump whose trial runs have already been started and the pumps have started lifting water from the Tawi for further discharge of 5.4 million gallon per day (MGD) to the filtration tank.

After its commissioning within a month the Sitlee Filtration Plant would be augmenting the water supply to old Jammu and the Roopnagar areas thereby ending the long pending demand of the water supply.

The department has installed four pumps at the intake III, which would lift the water from the river. The water will then be sent to pre-sedimentation tank, flocculation tank, filtration plant and then finally sent through pipes to Manda and Lohar reservoirs for further distribution to the old Jammu city, Roopnagar and the Raipur-Domana areas.

A 4 metre high pre-sedimentation tank is being filled 100 cm a day as per the laid down norms and would require another five to six days for filling, after which the testing of the flocculation tank and filtration plant would be done.

PHE chief engineer VK Abrol said, “The trial run of the Sitlee Intake III and 5.4 MGD Filtration Plant, the capacity, strength and stabilisation of water pipes laid by the PHE to carry the water from the plant to Manda and Lohar reservoirs will be tested and the entire process will be completed within a month as committed to the Chief Minister.”

Adding, he said, that so far, Rs 35 crore had been spent on the third stage of the plant, the rainfall that lashed the city in the past few days had brought good news for the residents and the PHE department as the water level in the river had been recharged.

About 1.8 MGD additional water is being lifted from Tawi River making the total water availability for the Jammu region, 30 MGD.

“Welcome to Jammu, Swine Flu, H1N1”. Thus, read the first two lines inscribed on banners put up by the Directorate of Health Services across important public places like the railway station and bus stands in the city.