People spend night roof atop; Property worth lakh damaged in Jhullas
By SK Nazki, NAK,
Mendhar : Following flash floods caused by heavy rains since Sunday morning, normal life got paralyzed for second consecutive day today in tehsil Mendhar of border district of Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir.
Sources informed News Agency of Kashmir that people including government officials were forced to spent their night roof atop on Sunday as five to six feet water got accumulated in their houses and residential quarters.
Meanwhile, the local people of the area today staged a massive protest against the ‘failure’ of district administration to tackle the problem of water clogging in the area. However, the traders also put their shutter down for whole day in protest against the district administration’s failure to redress their grievances.
Reports said that heavy rains that lashed entire Poonch district on Sunday led to flash floods in Mendhar town. Hundreds of people including government officials got trapped in their houses when the flood water entered into government offices and houses.
Reports added that about five to six feet water got accumulated in the houses of local people and offices of Tehsildar, SDPO and SDM Mendhar. “The trapped people spent their night roof atop and more than 3-feet water was still in the houses and government offices,” informed sources.
On receiving information about the incident, the police personnel and villagers from adjoining areas rushed to the Mendhar town and started rescue operation. “Rescue operation was going on till the last reports poured in and more police personnel have been deployed to rescue the trapped people,” added sources.
Meanwhile, the local people and traders staged protest against the district administration. They alleged that the district administration has failed to tackle the problem of water clogging in the town. “Despite repeated pleas to district authorities, they have not taken measures to improve the faulty drainage system. It has become a perennial problem for residents of Mendhar. Our household articles and electronic goods have been floating in flood water but the district administration has not waked up from its deep slumber,” alleged the local people. They demanded suitable compensation for the affected families.
Meanwhile, sources said that property worth lakh of rupees was damaged in flesh floods triggered due to continuous rains in Jhullas area of Poonch.
Official sources told News Agency of Kashmir that standing crops, fruit trees and some residential houses suffered damage due to the continuous rains and flesh floods in the area.
Local MLA Jahangir Mir alongwith officials from the district administration visited the area to take stock of the situation.