Srinagar, Apr 18: Ending the four day suspense over the mysterious earth sinking in Agro Bagh and adjoining areas in Badamwari, where some houses were damaged, the authorities said it happened due to breach in some water supply lines running deep below.
 Giving details the Public Health Engineering (PHE), Executive Engineer, Shafat Hussain Qadeemi said his team had finally found the fault.
 “Basically some water supply lines crisscrossing the area had cracked leading to the earth sinking,” Qadeemi told Greater Kashmir.
 The Executive Engineer said a number of pipes could have cracked but quickly added that it was difficult to repair the lot.
 “They are lying deep beneath the earth and at places beneath the drains… These pipes were laid some forty fifty years ago,” he said adding the breached lot has been disconnected from the water source.
  “We are installing new pipes in the area. The work is on at full swing,” he said.
 The locals, however, are up in arms against the administration saying they should be compensated for the losses they suffered.
 “Our houses have developed cracks and the plinth has sunk. The government has to pay for the losses or else we will take to streets,” the victims said.
 Commenting over the issue, District Development Commissioner, Baseer Ahmed Khan assured that the affected would be duly compensated.
 “I’ll despatch a team to ascertain the losses and the   affected will be duly compensated,” the DDC assured.
 Pertinently on Saturday night the earth in the area had started to sink and houses developed cracks following a big bang, which the locals said, they heard. Water was also gushing out from beneath.
 Thereafter the earth was sinking and cracks furthering till the cause was found to be a breach in “weird water supply line”.

Lastupdate on : Wed, 18 Apr 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 18 Apr 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 IST