No water logging from Aug 2019, claims SMC

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water

Srinagar, Feb 08: Massive water-logging in several city areas has once again highlighted the incompetence of Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) to build a proper drainage infrastructure in the City.

Normal life was thrown out of gear due to heavy snowfall which lashed Valley for the whole Thursday with water-logging causing major inconvenience to commuters and to the business community especially in the City centre Lal Chowk and its adjoining areas.

Due to poor drainage system, the residents of various areas of Srinagar including Jawaharnagar, Gogji Bagh, Bemina, Mehjoor Nagar, Karanagar, Lalchowk, Children park road, Rambagh, Shalteng, Batamaloo, faced immense problems.

Roads leading to the emergency service like SMHS hospital, Lal Ded hospital were also chocked due to the blocked drains.

A shopkeeper in the Jawahernagar, Ishfaq Ahmad said, “A foyer around my shop has sunk due to the recent snowfall. Due to this no customer is able to visit my shop, which is affecting my business.”

Ishfaq said that many accidents were also caused due to the chocked water near his shop.

With 80% of drainage infrastructure completed, Srinagar city is still been deemed as unfit to handle even normal rains.

Mohammad Saleem, another shopkeeper at Gogji Bagh complained that many a times they informed the authorities about the waterlogging issue, but no one paid any heed to their pleas.

“We are forced to place ladders in the middle of the road for the commuters to cross the road as water level is above the ankle,” said Saleem.

Post 2014 floods, funds were released from the State Plan, Asian Development Bank, AMRUT schemes, JAICA-a Japanese consortium for the development and up-gradation of drainage infrastructure in the Srinagar city.

So far, 80% of work has been completed. But disposal of water logging issue continues unabated.

The officials in SMC revealed that under AMRUT and World Bank, Srinagar has been sanctioned Rs 300 crore each for the construction of drainage network and up-gradation of water pumps. “Yet the work has not been completed properly despite fund already sanctioned,” an official said.

Executive Engineer Drainage, SMC, Muzaffar Kakroo told The Kashmir Monitor that around 80% of the drainage infrastructure is complete and remaining 20% will be completed very soon.”

Muzaffar said that drainage system is still defunct because infrastructure for disposal of chocked water is still not constructed which has resulted in the waterlogging.

“Complete infrastructure of drainage system across Srinagar city along with the water disposal infrastructure will be completed in the month of May-August this year after which there will be no waterlogging problems,” he added.

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