Jammu, Dec 21: Assistant Professor in the Geology Department of the University of Jammu, Yudhvir Singh said a landslide in Samroli in Udhampur district was triggered due to the ignorance of geologist’s recommendations which risked the lives of the commuters.
“The unscientific digging has led to last night’s landslide in Samroli in Chenani-Udhampur stretch due to which Jammu-Srinagar National Highway got blocked,” Prof Yudhvir told Greater Kashmir.
He said that “Two days back, when he visited the place, he found JCBs were removing earth from the base of the landslide prone area by ignoring the suggestions of the geological experts.”
“In our report to the previous Deputy Commissioner Udhampur, a team of experts including me had strongly recommended that the base of the landslide prone areas should be strengthened. For a short time, the slide area bolted the blocks and scaled the slides,” he said, quoting his research in the area.
He, however, expressed anguish over the ignorance of the expert’s suggestion which has put the lives of the commuters on Jammu-Srinagar highway to the risk.
“Fortinately, it is not a rainy season. Had there been rains, the situation would have been dangerous. The contractors are working without proper consultation or monitoring of the geologists who are available with the executing agency involved in the widening of the highway,” he said and warned that if these unscientific activities continues in future as well, the risk of landslides will always be there on the highway.
“The agencies widening the highway from Chenani-Udhampur and Ramban-Banihal stretch should not ignore the geological implication and apply a support system taking the cognisance and lithological data of the concerned areas,” he said while citing an example of a portion of tunnel that caved in.