Army picks up pieces as J&K government disappears

Army picks up pieces as J&K government disappears

ABHIMANYU SINGH  Srinagar | 13th Sep 2014

Army personnel rescue of flood victims in Srinagar on Friday. PTI he road from paradise to hell has been short for Kashmir and the descent rather swift. The valley has now been flooded for more or less a week. That is all it took for the National Conference-Congress government led by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to disappear completely, leaving the Kashmiris on the mercy of their own enterprise, and crucially, the Indian Army's help. The one fact everyone this newspaper spoke to in the valley agreed upon was that there was no government in Kashmir anymore, since the floods began. This newspaper observed long lines of civilians, Kashmiris and Bihari migrant labourers, among others, waiting patiently to take their place in one of the rescue boats at Iqbal Park on Friday after waters began to recede. Army men operating the boats went about their task, seemingly unperturbed by the furore their humanitarian intervention has caused in the valley and the country. Arshid Ahmad Bhat, 38, a businessman, waited to take one of the Army boats, standing in the queue with his wife. "My in-laws were trapped here. They have now been rescued," he said. They live in another part of the city and had come to visit them. "We are going back to our house now. My son and daughter are still there. We hope they are safe," he added. Md. Khalid, 46, a lab technician, waited at the same spot for a private vehicle to take them to their destination, along with seven of his family members, including three women, one of them carrying a young child in her arms. "The Army gave us fruits, biscuits and water," he said. They were rescued after seven days, he added. However, a male relative in his group immediately objected. "The Army hardly gave us anything," he protested. This is a pattern that would repeat itself during this correspondent's two-day stay: any praise for the Army quickly countered by dissenting voices. Tariq Ahmad, 40, a local businessman dealing in kitchenware was on his way to check on his shop in the main city, walking through thigh-high water in Iqbalpura when this newspaper caught up with him. Ahmad and his companion and fellow businessman Riyaz Khan, 40, said that the Army, especially the Air Force rescued at least 150 people in Gogji Bagh, including 18 of his family members. "The rescue operations were conducted from the roof of my house. The Army also sent a neighbour who needed regular dialysis for her diabetes to a hospital in Delhi via air at midnight," said Ahmad. Khan said, "The Army gave us food, water, medicines and milk for infants." Even as Ahmed and Khan spoke to this correspondent, a group of young men passing by confronted them, having eavesdropped. "They did nothing except leaving us to die here," said one of them even as the two groups started to argue loudly in Kashmiri, while others made their way towards the main city and some survivors looked on from their rooftops, the lower part of their houses completely submerged. Some had started to open their shops to inspect the wares. A few intrepid ones could be seen sipping on their kahwas, sitting on their rooftops. Considering the fact that the Indian Army is not looked upon as a benign presence in the valley, the rescue operations mounted by them seem to have divided the Kashmiris. During its trips to those parts of Srinagar where the waters had begun to recede — which meant it came only around the knees or thighs — this newspaper was told contradictory versions of the role played by the Army in the rescue operations. Often, the young tended to dismiss the Army's role completely while the elderly and middle-aged expressed approval, though grudging, regarding its efforts. Near Pantha Chowk, close to the local bus stand, young men claimed that the Army had not played a major role in their area. And this in spite of the fact that the road that led to Pantha Chowk, where the Srinagar bus stand is located, was full of medical and relief camps being run by the Army and local organisations. Colonies on both sides of the road were completely under water, giving the impression that it was flanked by two lakes. Sitting hunched atop an overturned car, with flood waters swirling all around us and people making their way out, carrying luggage and sometimes infants, a bearded young man claimed on the condition of anonymity that the Army did not start any rescue operations until Monday in their area. "It was the locals who saved an Army vehicle stuck here in the floods with 22 people. Their main focus was on rescuing tourists and high-profile visitors," he alleged. This is a persistent rumour that is doing the rounds of Srinagar. Within minutes, we are surrounded by others who allege the same. However, they added that there had not been too many deaths in the area, which counts around 40,000 people as inhabitants. Only half a kilometre down, Ghulam Qazi Sufi, 65, a shopkeeper, said that the "Army helped. They did what they could." It was only on Friday, seven days after the floods, that he was able to open his shop and inspect the damages caused by the floodwater. "I have had to throw goods worth at least over Rs 1 lakh," he said. He demanded that the government should at least give more rations than officially mandated to the people for the next couple on months, till the compensation is paid. However, Md. Mumtaz, 30, a Bihari labourer, told this newspaper that their lot was the worst. "We work here as masons. Many of our people are still trapped. We have not received any help from any quarter. The Army is preferring to help the Kashmiris," he alleged. A large number of Bihari labourers are presently living in camps near the Srinagar airport from where they are being airlifted, with private airlines also chipping in. Locals are also sharing the burden of relief and rescue along with the Army. Gurudwaras and mosques have set up committees for the purpose, providing accommodation, food, and other required items like medicines. In Hyderpora, the relief camp at the Jamia Masjid is feeding at least 4,000 people per day while 2,000 are staying there till alternate arrangements can be made, said locals. Individuals are also pitching in. Sagar Kaul, who came to Srinagar to locate his mother, has set up a relief camp in Baghat-Barzulla at the International School, he told this newspaper. He has spoken to his mother who has been rescued and put up in a hotel with other survivors, briefly over telephone but he cannot meet her yet. "It is better to do this than waste my time. People are willing to contribute but we are running short of diesel and petrol, so transportation is a challenge," he said. Long lines of vehicles could be seen at the lone petrol pump selling fuel on the NH1 on Friday. A senior official of Save the Children, an NGO working on the ground, said that it could take at least "ten to fifteen" days for everyone to be rescued. "Only around one lakh people yet have been rescued in eight days. Another five lakh still await rescue. The administration is nowhere to be seen. Everything has been left to the Army," said the official, a resident of Srinagar.