Renewed mitigation plan needed to prevent future floods: CM’s Advisor

Srinagar, Aug 28: Nasir Aslam Wani, Advisor to the Chief Minister, on Thursday said a renewed mitigation plan must be framed to ensure that people do not face floods again in the future.“In areas where floodwater would once absorb or spread, there are now colonies. We have to keep this in mind. This will be reviewed,” he said.Wani said Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is monitoring the situation. “Once we come out of today’s flood situation, we will have to make a renewed mitigation plan. This is a necessary mechanism,” he said.Responding to a question on the issue of prisoners lodged in outside jails and the PDP’s protest, he said, “The Chief Minister has raised these issues at the right forums. Whether it is with the Prime Minister or the Home Minister, there has been follow-up.”He said the opposition’s job is to oppose. “They should stop opposing for the sake of opposing and become a constructive opposition,” he said. “They are playing cheap politics. We have seen their role when they were in government, in opposition, and even today. People have rejected them.”The CM’s Advisor added, “The opposition should reflect on its own role. These prisoners were not shifted today. This began during their time in power, when they were in alliance with the BJP. They should have raised the issue then. Years have passed, yet they have remained silent. Even after 2019, they said nothing. The problem cannot be solved by taking to the streets. It would have been better if they had spoken in unison with the Chief Minister, and together they would have impressed the Delhi government.”Wani said if the immediate release of the prisoners was not possible, they should at least be transferred to J&K jails so their families can meet them. “Later, they should be released, and the Government of India should also take note of this. Those prisoners who have no serious charges pending and have already served their terms should be released,” he said.