| News Details |
| Jammu Havoc and shrieking Suryaputri | |
By Dr Nirmal Kamal
Earlier she cried very soft despite heavy strokes of shovels, drilling machines and other hammering equipments. Never ever “Suryaputri’ was so furious as in early September this year. On 4rth, I took exactly one and half hours to reach my home in Channi Hmmat locality from Kachhi Chowni via fly over bridge, which normally takes 20-25 minutes at moderate speed. Heavy Traffic Jam on both the sides of Tawi Bridge was being managed by the traffic police as the cemented concrete pillars of Bridge over Tawi were being ferociously hammered by the ebullient flood waters. Cops on the duty were permitting vehicles in small numbers to cross over. I could feel scary roaring sounds of waters of Tawi attempting to shake the pillars beneath the bridge least aware that this time September monsoon will shatter and inundate lives of the people, snatch nearly 300 men and women and countless hapless cattle.
A private bus carrying “cheerful baratees ” including the bridegroom, swallowed by floods, was the early morning news, signaling torrential rains will bring tragic devastation and deluge, could be no body’s guess. Following day, other new Bridge, namely 4rth Bridge on Tawi was delinked when muck, mud, crushed stones, gravels and sandy linkage (temporary hasty arrangement only to inaugurate new bridge as an achievement of the ruling Government) to pacca bridge washed away. Government, still, has not learnt any lesson as it has again ignored the safety precautions. Instead of laying concrete slab on the cemented pillar, washed away portion is again filled with stones and sand. Any way, vehicular traffic was stopped on 6th and 7th as precaution to any inevitable tragedy- a wise decision and the people co-operated.
This reminded me of old and only bridge linking south Jammu to the rest of the State. That bridge too had suffered several blows of the Nature but “Suryaputri” was never so much in anger. Good old bridge continued to serve commuters, Trucks, Rehras, Buses, Tangaas-all alike. Best scene one could visualize - long queue of boozers in front of a wine shop now replaced by Press Club of Jammu. Tucking of small bottles within the trousers or any other convenient concealing place, was classic amusement for passengers waiting for their turn to cross the bridge under the one way traffic system. Some would not lose time to disappear on the slopes of banks of Tawi. Yet Tawi appeared majestic. Surface of Tawi was not that deep because rapid urbanization was a distant dream and corruption still was in infancy. Absence of sand and stone mafia, exploitation of greed with easy connivance of land grabbers and government agents and menace of polythene material kept the tempers of Tawi quite cool. Monsoons from mid July to mid September, very rarely damaged houses, rather a few hour’s rainfall would clean entire town and surrounding areas retaining sacrosanct character of Tawi for holy dip during “Navratri” days and other religious congregations. All that is replaced by uncontrollable pollution, garbage, litters and disposables. As usual the Government never considered it important.
Shockingly, waters in Tawi crossed the danger point. A river which very rarely swells to show its anger, remains dry most of the times in winter and in summer, dug more deep by the sand and stones mafia, swelled with waters! How? Situated at the vicinity of Shivaliks, the outer plains of Jammu Division is traversed by numerous hill torrents. These torrents remain dry over the greater parts of the winter and summer season, attains enormous size during rains. At times the ravines and the Kandi areas take the shape of gushing torrents. Suryaputri emerging from Kali Kund ( also origin of Neeru Nallaha), the place of origin near Dudu in Vasant Garh passes through Latti, Dune in Chenani, flows for about 128 kms, before it enters the plains renaming Tawi. This time various plains adjacent to Tawi embankments near Belicharana, Bharjala, Bhor Camp, Gangyal, Samba, Gorkha Nagar, Kalika Nagar, R.S.Pura, Samba, Makwal etc, hillocks within the periphery of Shivaliks- several villages in Udhampur-Pancheri,Thanamandi, Rajouri, Poonch, Doda, Mahore and other villages in Reasi, Kishtwar,Sunderbani, Nowshera, Kalakote and many others suffered unprecedented disaster unseen unheard before. Chenab, too, played “Tandav” in surrounding areas like Marh and Phalain Mandal.
Dimensions of Flood Fury in Jammu and Valley are different, intensity of causality is same. The Kashmir Valley is nestled in north western folds of Himalayas and is surrounded on all sides by the snow covered peaks. Monsoons is stopped by Pir Panjal to enter in Valley. The havoc in Kashmir began with brimming Jehlum embankment giving away added by incessant rains man made blunders while wrath in Jammu was caused by the torrential rains, submergence in water and land slides which resulted in closing of National Highway. Government has assessed losses to the extent of Rs 50,000 crores. It means reconstruction of destructed areas. I apprehend affected people will ever come out of the trauma in one life. Voluminous damage will take decades to cover up. Destruction and construction processes have different time magnitudes.
Official information available reveal, in Jammu alone, 2.64 lac families are affected while 83,517 houses and other structures are damaged by the Flood ravages and torrential rains causing landslides. This figure include 1492 pacca houses fully collapsed and 6179 pacca houses partially collapsed. Number of Kachha houses fully collapsed is 13,773 and 44,916 kachha houses are partially damaged (in Poonch alone 1720 Kachha houses are fully destroyed and 3402 are destroyed partially. The official data show 2,24,093 families affected by the floods and 40,606 families were hit by the washed away villages besides Kullahas, cow sheds and other structures as well cattle and crops- mainly Paddy and Maize. According to another estimate paddy crop on 4000 Acre land is damaged. Precise evaluation of agrarian loss is yet to come. Floods damaged 1276 schools in Jammu, 70 villages in low lying areas in Jammu, were inundated, filled with mud and slush, 288 villages were affected in Reasi, 198 in Poonch, 172 in Udhampur,163 in Rajouri, 110 in Ramban, 70 in Doda, 53 in Kishtwar and 34 in Samba according to another report.
This Natural Calamity has affected Tourism, that too, in festive season, the major source of revenue. The State which financially remains depended on the Central Government with very little of its own income from Excise and Tourism, never tapped potential to grow its sources. Prime Minister is committed to liberal financial help. Reportedly several far flung areas in Jammu still not attended (Baggan in Billawar and Panjar in Udhampur). Relief is pouring for the flood victims but Jammu is again being discriminated. Public is complaining of mismanagement and unfair distribution of relief. The State Government has announced peanut’s share. Rescue, Relief and Rehabilitation of marooned people requires an organized not lackadaisical approach. Relief both in cash and kind, is pouring in from national and International agencies in addition to NGOs, social organizations, educational institutions , individuals from all over the country.
The State has always been recipient of liberal help during Wars, natural crisis and even in normal times on one pretext or the other. When born in the State, one is accustomed of the abnormalities of the State. How long this will continue? Cannot we dream of a prosperous State? Present Government has proven its shallowness. Lack of sincerity and honesty, absence of vision for future arrogancy and unaccountability are the root causes behind the present crisis. The extent of the man made disaster could be avoided only if magnitude of rampant corruption was less. Though now calm, message of Suryaputri is clear- Act or Peri The September catastrophe is a clarion call against corruption and the incompetent Government. The Government stands cornered in the Court of public.
(Opinions expressed in write-ups/articles/Letters are the sole responsibility of the authors and they may not represent the scoopnews.in)
Editor, Scoop News
... |
| |
|
|
Share this Story |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|