This is a national and humanitarian crisis of mammoth proportions. I hope that we rise above our petty politics and stop making innuendos that Hindu areas are getting rescued first by the army or that local Muslims are not helping fellow pandits. The Govt of India needs to get their act together and realise that the Army isnt made of superheroes! Either that or they really dont value the lives of Indian Armed Forces and their citizens and think they are expendable. Journalist Ahmed Ali Fayyaz accounts from the valley: Kashmir on September 13, a week after the most severe brunt and 14 days after the rain started: 1. Many of the government claims in media are not visible on ground. 2. Water level in Jhelum and many inundated areas has fallen but in areas like Rajbagh, Jawahar Nagar, Lalchowk, Bemina, Mehjoor Nagar to Kandi Zal it cant lower any more and the whole stinking mass needs to be drained out. High calibre suction pumps claimed to have been imported from Vishakhapatnam are no where visible. On Sep 12, I saw none in Rajbagh Jawahar Nagar where thousands of the houses under 7 to 12 ft water are threatening to collapse and epidemic is about to break out. Theres absolutely no presence of the government other than the Army and NDRF boats ferrying people and helicopters hovering overhead without break. 3. The only human body spotted and recovered from the water is that of the photojournalist Shafat Sidiqui. So the official toll is just 1. Nobody knows whether it is just one or god forbid 1,000 as swathes of Srinagar south are still under deep waters. 4. The government machinery breakdown could be imagined from the fact that even on Sep 11, Chief Minister had no knowledge about the safety or whereabouts of over a dozen of his Ministers. I saw one Cabinet Minister desperately trying to charge his cellphone on the battery of his police escort Gypsy. It charged 10% but there was no signal. 5. Over 500 government functionaries, who were normally supposed to run the rescue and relief operations, are still untraced/ incommunicado. Valley has been virtually taken over by Army, Indian Air Force and NDRF. 6. All but one hospitals in Srinagar have been deserted by most of the staff. There are no means no confirm reports that over 50 babies have died at GB Pant hospital. An SPs father told me there were 20 bodies of the patients at SMHS who died for want of medicines and treatment from 6th to 10th September. 7. Ovet 95% shops are shut in Srinagar. Even chemists are not visible as many of them fail to reach and open their shops due to huge water logging and no transport. Medicines on ground floors have been fully destroyed by water. 8. No banks, ATMs are still functional in vallley. Many of the people, including the rich have no cash in hand. Almost all the government offices are still closed. 9. Hajj flight operations, all examinations and interviews have been suspended indefinitely. 10. BSNL phone services are operational not more thsn 3%. Aircel and Airtel services operate occasionally sincd Thursday but not more than 5%. Just 25% connectivity has been restored at Srinagar airport. Only Vodafone cellphone services is working elsewhere but it has less than 5% subscriber base and handles only 10 of the 100 attempted calls. Very few people use this services to send snd receive email and WhatsApp and to update Facebook status. Videos cant be posted normally. In over 95 pc cases, it is impossible to contact the government officials on phone and other means. 11. Almost all the water supply, drainage and public transport services, including the intra valley rail service, are still shut. Power has been restored in very few select areas though all grids and receiving stations have been charged and interlinked. 12. Even Radio and television stations are still closed for programme making and transmission. No fuel filling stations, rations outlets are open. No newspapers are being published or circulated. THIS STATUS UPDATE IS PARTICULARLY FOR THOSE WHO FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD ASK ABOUT THE WELFARE OF THEIR FRIENDS AND RELATIVES IN KASHMIR, FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO SEND IN RELIEF AND DONATIONS AND THOSE WHO ASK WHERE IS THE GOVERNMENT. (Ahmed Ali Fayyaz, journalist, in Srinagar).
Posted on: Sat, 13 Sep 2014 11:49:39 +0000
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