J&K administration approves phase 2 of flood management plan

SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir administration has approved the second phase of a comprehensive plan for flood management work on the Jhelum river at a cost of over Rs 5,400 crore, an official spokesman said on Saturday.

The State Administrative Council (SAC), which met here under the chairmanship of Governor Satya Pal Malik on Friday evening, accorded in-principle approval to the Comprehensive Plan for Flood Management Works on Jhelum-II at a cost of Rs 5411.54 crore, the spokesman said.

He said the project is proposed to be implemented part-wise with Part A amounting to Rs 1,684.60 crore approved under Prime Minister's Development Package (PMDP) and Part B for which source of funding is to be identified. The project has been formulated to achieve short-term goal of mitigating the flood threat at Sangam in south Kashmir's Anantnag district.

The SAC directed Public Health Engineering (PHE) and Irrigation and Flood Control (I&FC) Departments to proceed with the implementation of Part A of Phase-II of the project utilising the available funds and earnestly take up the matter with the Government of India for funding its share of Part A of Phase-II of the project, the spokesman said.

The departments were also directed to explore financing options for Part B of Phase-II of the project, he added.

The spokesman said the SAC also approved constitution of a high-level committee for examination of the detailed project report (DPR), regular follow up with Central Water Commission (CWC)/Government of India for its approval, identifying source of funding for part-B (of phase-II) and also regular monitoring and supervision of execution of various works under both phases of the project.

The spokesman said after the devastating floods of September 2014, and on the recommendations of a high-level committee, constituted by the Centre, a multi-pronged strategy was adopted for flood mitigation in Kashmir Valley.

Accordingly, he said, to enhance carrying capacity of the river Jhelum from the then 31000 cusecs to 60000 cusecs, action was envisaged in two phases under PMDP.