Month: September 2015

Jhelum continues to shrink due to illegal encroachments

Editor

Even after one year of floods, nothing seems to have changed when it comes to removing encroachments along the Jhelum in Kashmir. During September-2014 floods, several residential colonies constructed illegally along the river bank were damaged. The administration had promised to stop such activity. Between September 3 and 7, 2014, heavy rainfall had led to massive flooding in the Jhelum, which breached its banks—six breeches only Srinagar— and devastated several areas. Most of them were built in an illegal way during the last two decades. The blatant violation of the…

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Govt Releases Rs 97 Crore to Flood-Hit in Srinagar

Editor

The flood affected in Srinagar city which was the worst hit  last year have been doled out  Rs 97.48 crore by the government. The documents prepared by the office of District Magistrate Srinagar reveal that 40 deaths took place due to floods in the district with families having been given ex-gratia of Rs 60 lakhs. A total of 5896 houses got fully damaged  in Srinagar including 5770 pucca houses and 126 kacha houses. For 5770 pucca houses, a total of 4328 lakhs have been sanctioned and similar;ly for 126 kacha…

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Kashmir Recalls 2014 Flood Nightmare

Editor

The first anniversary of the devastating floods of September 2014 is being observed on Monday. As many as 300 people died in the floods which ravaged large parts of Kashmir valley, sweeping away houses and cars and turning lush farmland into a muddy wasteland. According to the official figures, apart from damage caused to 261361 structures, farm sector of 3.27 lakh hectares of agricultural land and 3.96 lakh hectares of horticulture land also suffered damage. Similarly, under public sector, 6,910 kms of road length, 559 bridges, 3,063 PHE schemes, 6,423…

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‘It was like doomsday’

Editor

Hamidullah Dar As I finished my day’s job at the desk on September 6 evening last year, I headed for waiting vehicle to rush to my rented accommodation at Rajbagh. As we drove on Zero Bridge, Jhelum waters were kissing the upper brims of the river banks. It was a frightful sight, made more menacing by the night hours and the flurry of emergent activities going on all around. The level of water was at its devastating high as any breach could prove disastrous for almost half of Srinagar city.…

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Militants’ video ‘motivated’ Sopore boys to take up arms

Editor

A video clip of militants is believed to have “motivated” four teenagers from Sopore, who were detained in frontier district of Kupwara recently while attempting to cross the Line of Control (LoC) to take up arms. The four teenagers from Sopore have reportedly told the police that they decided to go to Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) for arms training after watching a video of militants. The video was shown to them by a local resident, who works in a private company in Sopore. “We have picked the youth who showed them the…

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Long road to recovery agonisingly slow

Editor

Floods: A Year Later Long road to recovery agonisingly slow People picking up the pieces as rehab yet to gather pace In the first week of September last year, Jammu and Kashmir recorded an unusually high amount of rain, ending with a devastating deluge that submerged residential and commercial neighbourhoods and struck a damaging blow to the region’s economy. The south Kashmir districts of Kulgam, Anantnag, Shopian and Pulwama were the first to get affected by the floods in early September as heavy rain wrecked the region and swelled the…

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Resilience shown in the face of pain, loss

Editor

Floods: A Year Later For a moment, Ahmad (40) from the Chattabal locality of Srinagar thought everything was lost. He saw his two children and wife crying, struggling in the water and drowning when the boat, in which they were being rescued during the floods last year, hit something and capsized. The fate, however, had something else in store for them. Another boat which was rowing nearby rushed and saved the family. Ahmad (last name used) is haunted by the memory of the floods and has not returned home at…

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Weary of waiting for aid, Kashmir Valley shuts down today

Editor

Coalition of trade associations calls for protest, says state and central governments did not fulfil promises.  Accusing the state government and the Centre of failing to rehabilitate victims of the devastating floods that submerged parts of Jammu and Kashmir exactly a year ago, the Kashmir Economic Alliance, a coalition of trade bodies, has called for a complete shutdown in the Valley on September 7. After the deluge hit the Valley, the then Congress-National Conference government had sought a financial assistance of Rs 44,000 crore from the Centre for rehabilitating the…

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Mitigation measures yet to take off for future floods

Editor

With a series of mitigation measures recommended by experts remaining unimplemented over the past year, the threat of floods remains real in Kashmir. The recommendation and preventive measures to “minimise the risk” associated with floods — suggested by experts and also documented in an official assessment report of the state government — have remained unimplemented even as the Kashmir region is ready to mark the anniversary of last year’s devastating floods. The official report prepared after last year’s deluge by the Indian Space Research Organisation’s National Remote Sensing Centre and…

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Time, funds must to save Srinagar from another disaster, says govt

Editor

After a year that witnessed change of guard in the state, the Irrigation and Flood Control Department headed by Sukhnandan Choudhary is confronted with the challenge to save Srinagar from any possible disaster. In Jammu, where the Tawi, Ujj and Chenab breached its banks last year, the government has been posed with the task of strengthening flood protection works. Sukhnandan Choudhary elaborated the long-term flood management plan which includes regular dredging, removal of encroachment along the banks of the rivers and creating alternate flood channels as the only solution, which…

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