Suhail Dar
Days after the water levels in Jhelum are dropping to normal, massive cracks have been reported from the river side road in Batengoo area of Anantnag district causing panic among the locals.
Speaking to The Kashmiriyat, a group of locals said that the cracks have widened during the past few days. “The first day one could barely see the crack, but over the days, the cracks have widened, and the entire road might slide into the Jhelum,” a local resident told The Kashmiriyat.
Inmates of more than 200 houses located in this area are barely able to sleep to remain alert for the worst, they said. “After the recent rise in water level in Jhelum, we were facing a flood threat, but, as soon as the water went down, the road besides the river developed massive cracks. we are scared,” said a female resident.
Meanwhile, a team of Irrigation and Flood Control Department of Jammu Kashmir inspected the area.
An official from Flood Control Department while talking to The Kashmiriyat said that due to the heavy rain in past few days cracks occurred in roads in Batengoo area.
“This is a clear incident of sinking due to scarring and also there is a rush of traffic in this area. Massive mining is also happening in the nearby areas that can also be the cause,” he said.
He said, “We have already incorporated this area/spot in our project of Jhelum management. We are waiting for the tenders, and we came here to see the best possible temporary restoration.”
Jhelum Management Project was developed after 2014 floods. “Our DPR is approved, and we are waiting for the technical sanction, and we also have to change the proposal of this area by adding piling to it after that we can permanently restore this.”
He said that the Department understands the panic of people as they are living here and have their properties in Batengoo. “We hope that the restoration work would start the work as soon as possible,” he told The Kashmiriyat.