20 February 2005	Sunday	10 Muharram 1426

SIALKOT, Feb 19: The district administration has miserably failed to start repairing the collapsed small wooden bridge over the Tavi river and reconnect the Bajwat sector's bordering villages.

As many as 85 villages falling in the sector were cut-off from the district almost two weeks ago when a bridge collapsed for the second time.

When contacted, Sialkot DCO Syed Tahir Raza Naqvi told newsmen that the district government was unable to launch any repair work on the bridge that collapsed owing to heavy rains and souring up of the water level in the river. He said the government would start work on the project after the water level drop in the river.

Owing to the intermittent rains in the Sialkot district and all the catchment areas in the neighbouring Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the water level has soured up to a great extent in all the rivers and seasonal drains. A low-level flood was reported in Tavi.

To make the situation worse, private boatmen have once again refused to resume service due to which people could not come to the areas of the district. Officials of the irrigation department, when asked to explain the situation, said the flow of floodwater had soured up to 43,992 cusecs from 42,000 cusecs in the Chenab at Head Marala.

Though the water level was continuously souring up in the Chenab, Tavi and Jammu Munawar due to continual rains in the catchment, they said there were no signs of danger.

People across the bridge told newsmen on telephone that were literally stranded and unable to come to the city and its adjoining areas by crossing the flooded river after the collapse of the small wooden bridge.

The situation was getting worse day by day, as shortage of food in the cut-off villages was in sight. Besides, they said, their fertile agricultural lands were being ruined by the water.

It is pertinent to mention that the affected villages fall in the electoral constituencies of National Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Ameer Hussain (NA-111) and Punjab Industries and Investment Minister Muhammad Ajmal Cheema (PP-121).

TMA: The Tehsil Municipal Administration staffers in Sialkot, Daska and Pasrur on Saturday continued to wipe out the rainwater from the routs of Zuljinah processions, as heavy rain lashed out the district.

Water accumulated on several low-lying areas and the TMA workers made efforts to remove it. The Shia community had urged the TMA authorities to make special efforts to wipe out the rainwater and mud from all the routs of Zuljinah processions.