?"The Administrative Council, which met here under the chairmanship of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, accorded administrative approval to the Jhelum flood protection works by Jal Shakti Department in Kashmir division," an official spokesperson said.?It approved the project -- Comprehensive Plan for River Jhelum and its tributaries, Phase (II) Part (A) -- amounting to Rs 1,623.43 crore under the Prime Minister's Development Package, he said.

?The proposed works are based on the existing site conditions and issues of the main Jhelum downstream of Sangam up to Wullar Lake, flood spill channel and outfall channel, including tributaries, in order to safely mitigate a flood threat of 1,700 cubic meters (60,000 cusecs).?The project comprises various components, including improvement in the discharge carrying capacity of river Jhelum, bank and toe protection works, raising of bunds and embankments, and re-sectioning and channel improvement of the river.?

?Regulation of silt input from tributaries by anti-erosion works is also proposed at critical spots. The other works under the project comprise rejuvenating water bodies such as Hokersar and Nowgham by re-sectioning of the lunettes and inside channels, and construction of inlet and exit regulating gates, the spokesperson said.

The project intends to protect flood-prone areas along the Jhelum in Srinagar, Budgam, Baramulla, Anantnag, Pulwama, and Bandipora districts and will generate 1.19 crore man-days employment for skilled workers and 3.81 crore man-days employment for unskilled workers, respectively. It will be completed in three years, he added.?The project was conceptualized on the basis of recommendations made by a three-member group headed by the chairman of the Central Water Commission, which was constituted shortly after the September 2014 floods on the instructions of the prime minister.