SRINAGAR: A heavy spell of rainfall Monday morning inundated Srinagar’s Lal Chowk, the city’s iconic square that has emerged as a major tourist attraction since the abrogation of Article 370.Images of a flooded Lal Chowk and the clock tower were widely circulated on social media, with netizens mocking the govt over the alleged failure of the drainage system in the city.Several other parts of Srinagar also witnessed waterlogging, with many questioning Srinagar’s Smart City infrastructure project.Officials of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) said the capital city’s drainage system was overwhelmed by the intensity of the rainfall. “It was a heavy downpour for nearly two hours,” an official said, adding that dewatering pumps were deployed to clear waterlogged areas.The explanation, though, was shot down by many.“The idea of a Smart City is to employ technologies, data and intelligent systems to improve efficiency, sustainability, quality of life and resource management with the approval of the citizens. Smart City Srinagar was based on contextless, soulless and photoshopped images,” said Hakim Sameer Hamdani, a conservation architect. “We need to have a way to manage run-off water from the road and ideally that should be treated and used to recharge groundwater. But there is no proper and integrated system,” Hamdani said.SMC officials, however, said all works sanctioned under the Srinagar Smart City project, which began in April 2017, were completed.Last month, the Omar Abdullah cabinet raised concerns about the award of contracts and the implementation of projects under the Smart City initiative. His govt ordered an external audit on the “failure of the Srinagar Smart City” project.On Monday, the CM said a brief spell of rain flooded large parts of the city, including Lal Chowk, indicating that the drainage system failed. “They are saying they have completed the smart city project. Our govt wants to know what has been achieved so far,” he said.Last year, the ministry of housing and urban affairs told the Lok Sabha that under the Union territory’s Smart Cities portfolio, Srinagar was to complete 161 projects at Rs 3,634 crore.Meanwhile, the IMD Director Mukhtar Ahmad said that widespread rain will continue across Kashmir for the next three days with a risk of landslides and flash floods, asking people to remain vigilant and avoid venturing near hill slopes, rivers and streams.Lieutenant Governor Shri Manoj Sinha reviewed the situation following heavy rains, flash floods and landslides in several districts, mostly in Rajouri and Poonch districts, as death toll climbed to 17 people with several still missing due to flash floods.The govt has already extended school holidays up to July 23 and Shri Amarnath Yatra has been temporarily suspended from July 19, both from Baltal and Pahalgam routes.“I spoke to senior officials today to assess the impact of heavy rains, flash floods and landslides. I am deeply saddened by the loss of two lives in Doda, and my heart goes out to their families. Emergency teams, including NDRF, SDRF, J&K Police and the Army, are deployed and on high alert in vulnerable areas. Key roads in Poonch, Rajouri, Reasi and Udhampur have been reopened, and work to restore water supplies in several areas is ongoing. Field teams have also been directed to urgently evaluate damage to houses and public infrastructure,” he said.
