MIRPUR (Kashmir English): Commissioner Mirpur Division Chaudhry Mukhtar Hussain has constituted an inquiry committee to investigate the collapse of several houses in Kakra Potha Bainsi, following demands from the affected residents.
Earlier this month, at least 27 houses in the area were declared uninhabitable due to the rising water level in the dam. On October 4, at least 12 houses and roads collapsed, cutting off the land route to the area and causing loss valued at a billion rupees.
According to details, the committee includes Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Mirpur Raja Omar Tariq, Superintendent Public Works and Buildings Engineer Shahzad Aurangzeb, Assistant Commissioner Islamgarh Yasir Aftab Gardezi, and the Deputy Director Building Control of the Mangla Dam Housing Authority.
The Commissioner directed the newly formed four-member committee to assess the total losses within one week and submit a comprehensive report with recommendations to his office.
According to the official press release, the committee may also include additional technical officers if deemed necessary to ensure a thorough assessment.
The decision came after a 30 to 35-member delegation of residents led by Special Advisor to the Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir, Colonel (R) Muhammad Maroof Khan, met the Commissioner and briefed him on the extent of the damage.
The delegation informed that the rise in Mangla Dam’s water level to 1,240 feet had caused structural shifts in the land, leading to the collapse of several solidly built houses worth billions of rupees in Potha Bensi and Kakra Town.
Earlier last week, the Commissioner Mirpur Division stated that the land adjacent to Mangla Dam had been sliding for the past ten months, causing cracks in around 27 houses of the aforementioned village.
