Srinagar, Apr 17: Panic has gripped Agro Bagh and adjoining Gulshan Mohalla areas of Badamwari with at-least eight residential houses developing cracks due to mysterious earth sinking, from where streams of water are gushing out.
 The residents said the incident took place on Saturday night at around 11:30PM  when a explosion was heard, which prompted them to come out of their houses.
 The locals said they couldn’t believe their eyes that a concrete plinth of a residential house had sunk leaving behind a huge crater through which one could sneak into.
 But before anyone would look into it, water started gushing out. Three days on, the water continues to flow out even as many nearby houses too developed cracks, the locals added.
 The locals said they were scared of living in the cracked houses as the structures are feared to collapse anytime.
 All this has left them panicked and they fear a threat to their life and property.
 Some of the affected said they were rehabilitated in the Agro Bagh area by Lakes and Waterways Development Authority (LAWDA) as part of its Dal conservation project. “We earlier used to live in Dal lake and were rehabilitated in this area,” said Muzaffar Ahmed, a local.
 The residents said those whose houses have been damaged due to the earth sinking include: Ali Muhammad Kath son of Ghulam Hassan of Agro Bagh, Muhammad Abbas Kath son of Ghulam Hassan of Agro Bagh, Abdul Aziz Dar son of Ghulam Ahmed Dar and Farooq Ahmed son of Ghulam Ahmed residents of Gulshan Mohalla.
 The residents said wherever in the area they tried to dig land to see what was the problem beneath, water started gushing out.
 So much of water gushed out from beneath that all the houses were about to submerge in knee deep waters, they said. “Finally we had to make a makeshift drain as an outlet to the rising waters,” the residents said.
 The Executive Engineer Public Health Engineering (PHE), Shafaat Hussain Qadeemi said his department was looking into the matter since Sunday morning.
 “Out team is still on job to ascertain the facts as to what has caused the problem but we are yet to come to any conclusion,” he said.
 The District Development Commissioner Baseer Ahmed Khan however said there was nothing to worry about.
 “I have dispatched a team to ascertain the facts…. There’s nothing to worry or panic,” Khan told Greater Kashmir.

Lastupdate on : Tue, 17 Apr 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 17 Apr 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Wed, 18 Apr 2012 00:00:00 IST