Jammu, August 29: Commissioner Secretary, Housing and Urban Development Department (HUDD), Ms. Mandeep Kaur today conducted an extensive tour of various parts of Jammu city to assess the large-scale damage caused by the recent spell of torrential rains.
The heavy downpour has severely impacted normal life, damaged vital infrastructure, and caused considerable hardship to residents. During her visit, Ms. Kaur observed that several residential areas had been flooded, leaving houses filled with water and debris. Key drains, bridges, and road links at critical locations were damaged, while in some stretches, roads were completely washed away, making vehicular movement impossible.
The city’s drinking water supply network was also badly affected, further compounding public inconvenience.
The Commissioner Secretary inspected flood-affected localities including Greater Kailash, Sainik Colony, Sunjwan, Bathindi, Boria Basti, Bahu Fort, Vikram Chowk, Tawi Bridge, Talab Tillo, Roopnagar, Rajinder Nagar, and Bantalab, to take first-hand appraisal of damages and ongoing response measures.
She was accompanied by Commissioner, Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC), Dr. Devansh Yadav, who briefed her on relief and restoration works being carried out jointly by JMC teams and other line departments.
Issuing on-spot directions, Ms. Kaur instructed officials to immediately initiate restoration works with a clear focus on permanent and sustainable solutions.
She categorically stated that temporary patchwork would not be tolerated, stressing that wherever roads, bridges, drains, or lanes had been damaged, only durable and long-lasting methods should be adopted.
She further directed that no new lane construction be undertaken without drain and proper technical planning and approval, and only concrete creeks be built to ensure stability and long-term resilience.
She also made it clear that road restoration should be taken up only after complete removal of encroachments, to ensure free flow of storm-water and to prevent recurring damage.
As part of slope protection measures, she directed that hydro-seeding plantations be carried out along creeks to stabilize soil and reduce erosion risk.
The Commissioner Secretary instructed the Urban Environmental Engineering Department (UEED) to expedite repair of deep drains and other major drainage systems.
The Jal Shakti Department was directed to take immediate steps to restore the city’s drinking water supply to prevent inconvenience to residents.
Appealing for public cooperation, Ms. Kaur assured citizens that the government is making all possible efforts to restore normalcy at the earliest. She emphasized that coordinated action among line departments is already underway to speed up the restoration process.
Chief Engineer, UEED, Jugal Nagotra, Joint Commissioner (W), JMC, Firdous Ahmed Qazi, Superintendent Engineer, Jal Shakti, Sunil Gandotra and Executive Engineers from various departments also accompanied the Commissioner Secretary during the inspection and apprised her of ground-level challenges and remedial measures being taken.
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