Shadow Correspondent
Jammu, Aug, 07
Taranjit Singh Tony, General Secretary of J&K Pradesh Congress Committee and DDC Suchetgarh, today joined a dharna staged by local women—Suman Choudhary, Poonam Sharma, and Kamlesh Kumari—from Jeevan Nagar, demanding the dismantling of the Jeevan Nagar Bridge. The women, along with residents, are protesting the bridge’s faulty design, which has numerous pillars causing severe flooding in the area.
Today’s incessant rains have devastated Jeevan Nagar, Bhor Kulliyan, and Azad Nagar in the Chatha area due to overflowing of Nallahs, with water inundating nearly every home.Tony informed the Divisional Commissioner and spoke with the Deputy Commissioner of Jammu to apprise them of the critical flood situation in these neighborhoods.
In response, SDM Atul Sharma, SHO Sushil Sharma, Tehsildar South, and Executive Engineer Suraj Sharma, under the directions of Chief Engineer Rajesh Gupta and SE Ashwani Kumar, visited the site. However, their presence did little to placate the distressed residents of Jeevan Nagar.
The women leading the protest highlighted that this is the second occurrence of floodwaters entering their homes, resulting in massive losses. Nearly 250 houses suffered extensive damage to furniture, food supplies, and other household items. The primary culprit, they claim, is the bridge’s defective design. Tony has called upon the Chief Secretary to take urgent action and rescue the affected residents. He criticized the current administration, accusing it of being unresponsive to the people’s plight. “This is a display of autocratic governance that ignores the suffering of its citizens,” Tony remarked.
He demanded accountability from the responsible officials for their failure to respond promptly during this crisis.
Moreover, Tony pointed out that residents of Azad Nagar in Gaddigarh and Bhour Kullian areas suffered floodwater in their houses while residents of Bhour Kullian are forced to drink contaminated water due to damaged pipes in the local Nallah. Despite raising this issue with the authorities, there has been no response. Tony urged the administration, led by LG Manoj Sinha, to dismantle the faulty bridge immediately to prevent further suffering in Jeevan Nagar.
Later, the Dharna was lifted on the assurance of SDM, that their demands will be considered at the earliest without any further delay.
