Sources said that the Power Development Corporation has begun a survey to identify the families who are facing the threat of submergence due to the rise in water of Baglihar dam.

Confirming that a survey has been started, Jammu’s Divisional Commissioner, Pawan Kotwal, however said that the government has started evacuating the families.

“We have begun the evacuation of the families who are facing the threat of submergence. We are identifying the families and already some of the families have been shifted near Pul Doda. Near Pul Doda there are some three families who need to be evacuated immediately. I have asked the Deputy Commissioner, Doda to identify the families who are facing the threat of submergence.

However there seems to be no solution in sight to the problems of people, who are facing shortage of essentials, at least for more than a month.

“The main highway which connects the Doda and Kishtwar districts to the rest of the country will take more than 45 days to be completed. However we are also clearing the snow on the alternate road to the Kishtwar and Doda and it will take us not more than 10 days to make the Bani-Basholi road trafficable”, added Kotwal.

However with the Batote-Doda road having already been declared as unsafe, people have now started demanding that more alternate roads should be opened for the twin districts.

“The entire stretch of the Batote- Doda road, which is nearly 35 kilometres, is under threat as it has started sinking in at many places. The government should construct a tunnel on the Basholi-Bhaderwah road so that it becomes trafficable even for the heavy vehicles. Also it should open the Sithan-Antanag road which connects the twin districts with Kashmir Valley for the traffic,” demanded Samajwadi Party state president, Sheikh Abdul Rehman.

“The Baglihar dam was constructed without taking into account the damage it poses to the road stretch for Doda and Kishtawar districts. Already there has been deforestation in the area which has lead to the sinking in of the Batote-Doda road”, added the SP leader.