Dr Jitendra Singh reviews relief, restoration works in Udhampur
Jammu, Aug 29: Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh Friday reviewed relief, restoration works in Udhampur, stating that the damaged National Highway to Srinagar was likely to be restored by late evening on August 29.
The Union Minister stated this after visiting the sites where the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway had caved in, at Thard and Benali Nalla.
Later, while chairing a meeting with district administration and representatives of various departments in Udhampur to review the situation arising out of recent heavy rains and to take stock of the ongoing restoration efforts, he called for an immediate and strict check on illegal mining and encroachments to prevent future catastrophes and road and bridge damage.
The Union Minister instructed the District Development Commissioner, Udhampur, to prepare a comprehensive plan for funds required to restore and strengthen water infrastructure, reiterating that there was no limitation of funds for such critical works.
Referring to the Keerian Gadiyal bridge, he said that two years back, his head was down with shame when the builder of the bridge had raised the concern that the bridge would get eroded soon because of the illegal mining by some of the senior political persons.
“Also today at the site of the national highway blockade in Kathua, regional officers of NHAI highlighted that out of 15 frames of the bridge, only two had remained functional because the other 13 had been eroded by miners, and that led to the caving down of the bridge,” the union minister said.
Dr Jitendra highlighted that this was now the responsibility of the society and of the elected representatives to check the illegal mining.
“It is high time for every one of us to abide by the pledge to avoid illegal mining and encroachment and move further from the rhetoric of ‘I will not indulge, and I can only appeal to others,’” he said.
He highlighted that the Devika project was launched with the personal intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and at the time of launching, he had said that it did not belong to any particular political party or individual.
“It’s a matter of faith for the people of Udhampur. Any concrete suggestions will be welcome from any person, and so also criticism, so that we can accordingly make amends, which has been done from time to time. "In the past there have been cases where complaints have been made against wrongdoers, and penal action like blacklisting of contractors and fines up to Rs 2 crore has been levied," Dr Jitendra said.
Reviewing the situation caused by heavy rains, the minister complimented the district administration, ground workers, police and civil society for their swift response. He appreciated the timely decision of the administration and police to block the National Highway at vulnerable points and for issuing a red alert in time.
During the review meeting, he was apprised that essential services, including road connectivity, power, and water supply, were being restored as a top priority.
“A team from the Airport Authority of India recently visited Udhampur in connection with an airport in the district. Based on the assessment, it was indicated that civil flight operations could potentially commence within a period of 8 to 16 months, subject to the completion of requisite approvals and infrastructure development,” it was stated.
Marking National Sports Day on the birth anniversary of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand, Dr Jitendra also announced that from August 29 until the end of October, a series of sporting events would be organised across the district. He was informed by the officials that registrations for competitions would remain open till September 27 through both online and offline modes and the competitions would be held both at Panchayat and municipal levels.
Earlier, the Union Minister visited the on-ground sites at Jakheni in Udhampur, where a bridge collapsed and severe road damage occurred due to the recent spell of heavy rains in the region.
He took stock of the situation, inspecting the damaged bridge and adjoining road infrastructure, which disrupted connectivity and affected the movement of local residents.
He interacted with officials from the district administration and NHAI who were present at the spot to review the immediate relief and restoration measures being undertaken.
Dr Jitendra assured the people of Udhampur that the Union Government was standing by them in the hour of crisis, and all possible support would be provided to ensure safety and speedy recovery in the aftermath of the heavy rains.
