Posted by Aatif : SHARE PLEASE :) -No food to cook and no clothes to wear- The devastating flood has taken a heavy toll on the widows and orphans, who are already living in pain and agony because of decades-old Kashmir conflict. A widow who has a small house at Achnambal, Pantha Chhoke in Srinagar said, “We have no food to cook”. She lost her husband in 1998 due to Indian state terrorism and since then has been working hard to support her two daughters and a son. “Conflict took away the life of my husband but we were managing food for two times and clothes. But today the situation is more difficult for us as we have no food to cook and no clothes to wear,” she told media men in Srinagar. Living near a mighty Chinar, water entered her house late on September 7 and slowly rose up to the first floor. “I hadn’t imagined that water level would rise up to the first floor of my house. Everybody told me that water won’t reach my lawns even. This is what prevented me from shifting things to safer place,” she said as tears roll down her cheeks. The main wall of Saleema’s house has collapsed while rest of the walls have developed big cracks, making it unlivable. “Where should I go now? Who to ask for help, I know no one will help,” she said amid cries. While the local women were trying to console her, Saleema’s son got a call from the owner of the shop where he works as a salesman. “Don’t come to the shop for now,” he was told, which bring another shocker for Saleema. Saleema is not alone in this misfortune. According to Imams of Pampore area, there are many widows and orphans who are facing tough times as majority of them has nothing to eat except some relief comprising biscuits and a few kilograms of rice. “We should help them and they should be our first priority,” an Imam told locals. Poor relief distribution by the authorities has added to the woes of widows and orphans. “I received five kgs of rice and two kgs of flour last week. Since then, no relief came here,” says Shareefa, whose husband was killed in a shoot out by Indian troops in 2001. Shareefa lives with two daughters and two sons at Befuna village of Pampore that bore the brunt of flood. There is hardly any house that is safe to live in again in the area. Javaid Ahmed, a resident of the area said that the flood water came from Pampore after river Jehlum overflowed its banks. In Befuna village, there are a number of widows including those whose husbands have died during the ongoing conflict. “No major relief reached here. It is the local village committee that is taking care of entire village population these days. But orphans and widows are suffering immensely as they have no money. Whatever crop they had in their fields has got completely damaged,” said Gulzar Ahmed, a local resident. Young Zubair has lost both of his parents. His father was a liberation activist and mother died due to heart attack, leaving behind two daughters and a son. Looking at the local langar (community kitchen) arranged by elders of the area in Samboora area of Pampore from the window of his mud house, he said, “There is no rice in my house. We are being provided food by the village committee, no relief reached here.” Zubair is a mechanic at a garage in Sonawar area of Srinagar and is paid Rs 3,000 a month. He is living with his uncle for past six years along with his two younger sisters. “Flood has damaged my house badly. I wanted to ensure proper education to my sisters. I haven’t gone to garage for past 12 days. Garage owner won’t pay me as I did no work,” says 16-year-old Zubair. A senior Kashmiri Muhammad Shaban said that it was high time when Kashmir and Kashmiri people must change for good. “We must introspect, otherwise God will punish us for not taking care of widows and orphans,” he said and appealed to all charity organisations to give first priority to widows, orphans and other destitute.
Posted on: Wed, 24 Sep 2014 14:06:01 +0000
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