Srinagar, Dec 5: Residents of Chinkral Mohalla, Habba Kadal fear that some old dilapidated houses in the area that have been uninhabited for years could collapse anytime triggering disaster.
 The locals said the structures were declared “unsafe” by the government several years back but till now no action was taken to demolish them.
  “Many times we appealed the government to take cognizance of our grievances and remove these dangerous old structures… But every time our appeals fell on deaf ears,” the locals  complained.
 “These old structures can collapse anytime and result in heavy loss of life and property,” they added.
 The local MLA, Shamima Firdous said she has already ordered the concerned department to remove the structures within three months.
 “After all it is the matter of public safety and I have already ordered the concerned departments to start the demolition as soon as possible….There was some delay because of lack of funds but now we are confident to get these structures removed within three months,” the MLA told Greater Kashmir
 When contacted the concerned authorities said they have identified these unsafe structures and are going to start the demolition once funds are sanctioned.
 “We have identified a total of sixteen unsafe structures and are waiting for the funds to start the work,”  Executive Engineer, Left River Circular Road Division, R&B, Amin-u-Din told Greater Kashmir.
 Sources said the Superintendent Engineer, R&B has already sent the amount requisition to the District Development Commissioner, Meraj Ahmad Kakroo, three months back, but till now the response is awaited.
 Despite repeated attempts, the DDC didn’t respond to phone calls.

Lastupdate on : Mon, 5 Dec 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 5 Dec 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Tue, 6 Dec 2011 00:00:00 IST