‘Encroachment in name of Smart City’: Bridges, roads washed away in Jammu, J-K govt to conduct probe

After visiting the fourth damaged bridge, he said, “I have told my secretary that we will look into it and we will not allow sub-standard work here.”

There are many small bridges and culverts, besides roads built under PMGSY, which have been damaged or washed away in the flash floods triggered by heavy rain, he said.

The bridge had been inaugurated by Omar Abdullah in 2013, when he was heading the National Conference-Congress coalition government in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. However, nearly a year after that, the embankment of the bridge, including its protection wall on the side of the Belicharana area, washed away after the Tawi flooded in 2014.

The embankment was later repaired, but was again washed away in a flood in 2016.

Protests in Katra

In Katra, where 34 pilgrims were killed in a landslide on Tuesday, local residents took out a procession and held a massive demonstration, accusing the Shri Mata Vaishnodevi Shrine Board of commercialising the pilgrimage to the Vaishnodevi shrine in the Trikuta Hills.

Accusing the Shrine Board of allowing the yatra even when schools and government offices were shut following a weather alert, the protesters demanded that responsibility be fixed for the deaths of the pilgrims in a massive landslide.

The demonstrators were led by leaders of various organisations, including Katra Sangharsh Samiti chairperson Bali Ram Rana, Rakesh Wazir of the Hotels and Restaurants Association, VHP leader Karan Singh, and Dhaba Union president Mahesh Chander Dogra.

They accused the Shrine Board of destroying the fragile ecology of the Trikuta Hills in the name of massive development, alleging there was total commercialisation of the pilgrimage as yatris were charged for “good darshan”.

Meanwhile, rescue operations were underway with NDRF, SDRF, police, and paramilitary personnel clearing debris from the landslides.

Roads remain closed

The Jammu-Srinagar national highway remained closed for vehicular traffic for the third consecutive day on Thursday in view of blockades caused by landslides at various places between Udhampur and Banihal.

Traffic also remained suspended on the national highway between Doda and Kishtwar, officials said, adding that the Sinthan Pass road connecting Kishtwar was also closed. However, the Mughal Road between Poonch and Shopian reopened on Thursday, but traffic will only be allowed until 4.30 pm.

The Northern Railways ran an “unreserved special train” from Jammu to Delhi in the afternoon to help tourists and pilgrims stranded at Jammu railway station reach their respective destinations.

A large number of people were stranded at various railway stations following the cancellation of various trains and the short termination of some others by the Railways on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, following an inclement weather alert from the meteorological department, the Directorate of School Education, Jammu, has ordered the closure of all government and private schools across the province until August 30.

The continuous heavy rainfall has led to waterlogging in school premises, flooding in low-lying areas, risks of landslides and mudslides and damage to road infrastructure, read an order issued by Director School Education, Dr Naseem Javaid Chowdhary. “These disruptions have made physical attendance unsafe,” it said, referring to numerous requests received from parents and civil society urging closure in the interests of students’ safety.