Warring seeks probe against mismanagement of dams, headworks

Warring seeks probe against mismanagement of dams, headworks

Says, criminal negligence more than heavy rains led to devastation

Asserts, guilty must not get away on excuse of natural disaster

Chandigarh 30 August ( Ranjeet Singh Dhaliwal ) : Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring today demanded a probe against the mismanagement of dams and water headworks and also the criminal negligence of people involved in their management. Reacting to reports as to how the water was allowed to accumulate in the dams upstream and not released on time in a phased manner, despite forecast of heavy rains, he said, it is more of a “criminal negligence” than an unforeseen natural disaster. Warring, after touring various flood hit parts of the state during the last three days, said that the devastation was to be seen to be felt as tens of thousands of people have been rendered homeless, so many have lost their lives while the loss to crops and livestock is yet to be assessed and estimated. He disclosed that there was one common question asked by people, as why did the authorities, whosoever responsible, allow the water in dams to overflow till the last minute. “Why was not the water released gradually in advance, so that later the dams could hold the extra water?” he asked, noting that had it been done on time, the extent of devastation may well have been minimized. He also referred to the crashing of two floodgates of the ‘Madhopur headworks’, which, he said, happened because these were not properly maintained. He said, since extra water from the headworks was also not released on time, it led to huge pressure and eventually crashing of the gates.The PCC president called for fixing the responsibility for this disaster and punishing those guilty. “We do not expect people at the responsible positions not to act in time and that too at such critical times”, he observed, asking, what are they meant for? People of Punjab, particularly those who have been devastated by the flood disaster are seeking answers and want those responsible for it to be punished. “It must not be business as usual”, he asserted, while seeking strict action against those who did not act in time to prevent such huge damage and devastation.