KASHMIR NEWS TRSUT #KNT
Barely two months after Srinagar’s Polo View market was redeveloped, water entered a couple of shops after midnight heavy rains, leaving
shopkeepers anxious about the design of the latest drainage system. However, Srinagar Municipal Corporation Commissioner Athar Aamir Khan visited the market and claimed that water might have leaked from an old drain located at the backside of the market into the shops. He urged people not to make a mountain out of molehill.
“If this much-hyped re-developed market starts flooding starts in the shower, the planners must be questioned and made accountable,” one of the shopkeepers told news agency Kashmir News Trust.
Shopkeepers were seen taking their products out in the open and draining the water from the shops.
“These are two to three shops. We will check and rectify the seepage issue immediately,” Commissioner SMC said adding that the new drainage system is perfect and the problem might have arisen due to the very old drain.
“We are here to see what actually the issue is. The drainage system built under Smart City has no issue. From the back side, there used to be one old drain while two more new drains were added to it. It is possible that the old drain which is made up of bricks could have some leakage problem and as a result, water entered into the two shops.
He said some of the shops are also connected with a sewer line from the back side and it is also possible that somebody would have connected that sewer line with the drainage system as a result water has entered the two shops.
“If the leakage is because of the old drainage system, we will rectify it and if the water is emanating from the shops, the shop owners will take care of it.”
“Please don’t mislead, the market has not been inundated. Srinagar has a drainage issue and waterlogging takes place at a number of places. But at Polo View, there is no drainage issue,” Aamir Athar Khan said.
In response to a question, he said the clock tower is complete and they are trying to complete the work at Lal Chowk and Residency Road as well. [KNT]
