The Cup of “Poison”!

(The cup of poison called “Hemlock” which Socrates was forced to drink has always turned out to be the cup of the “Water of Life” for the mainstream politicians of Kashmir!)

The former Chief Minister after losing the seat of power by sudden and unannounced withdrawal of support by BJP to her coalition government declared that the initial alliance with them was like drinking a “Cup of Poison”. The allusion seems to be to the famous historical event of the Greek philosopher Socrates who too was made to drink a cup of poison. It would be interesting to reproduce the history of the event as given in Wikipedia. “The trial of Socrates (399 BC) was held to determine the philosopher’s guilt of two charges: asebeia (impiety) against the pantheon of Athens, and corruption of the youth of the city-state; the accusers cited two impious acts by Socrates: “failing to acknowledge the gods that the city acknowledges” and “introducing new deities”. The death sentence of Socrates was the legal consequence of asking politico-philosophic questions of his students, from which resulted the two accusations of moral corruption and of impiety. At trial, the majority of the dikasts (male-citizen jurors chosen by lot) voted to convict him of the two charges; then, consistent with common legal practice, voted to determine his punishment, and agreed to a sentence of death to be executed by Socrates’s drinking a poisonous beverage of hemlock”.

Socrates gave his life for certain principles. He refused to go along with the false Gods of the Greek Pantheon and spread the knowledge among the youth for which he had to pay with his life. On the contrary our Kashmiri politicians have been drinking from the cup which has virtually proved to be the water of life for them right from 1947. Like the proverbial cat they have nine lives and in some cases may be even many more! They have been doing so for hiding the truth! In spite of many upheavals, turn arounds and somersaults they continue to survive with vigour! From the first “Cup of Poison” taken by the Kashmir’s “tallest” leader in 1947 itself, there has been a routine of all the so called mainstream leaders drinking the cup of whatever potion one may say ostensibly for the sake of the public but in reality for their own self and their family’s sake!

In case of the last ruler who claimed to have taken a cup of poison by collaborating with BJP for the sake of people, Kashmiris faced the worst sufferings in the recent past. Scores were killed and wounded, hundreds were hit with pellets and almost a hundred people totally lost their eyesight. Dozens of houses were completely destroyed and village upon village was totally pillaged and vandalized. Kashmir’s biggest mosque remained locked up on umpteen Fridays and people could not offer prayers on scores of Fridays. A few thousand people especially the youth were detained and some were put under continuous detention under Public Safety Act. After her ignominious departure one would have thought that the others would take a cue and come on the straight path. Not at all. They seem to be eager to drink from the “Cup of Poison” even if they have to sell their mothers for a price! Somehow the so called poison in the cups of Kashmir appears to be a potion which turns these leaders into virtual blood sucking leaches. They fall only when they have sucked the blood to their fill! Unfortunately for the poor wretched people, they have been themselves picking up and putting these leaches back on their bodies to suck more blood!

So far these leaders have been leading Kashmiris like sheep from one pasture to other. However, there is a change now. Kashmir has a new generation. The generation which was born and brought up in turmoil. No matter how many cups of hemlock or honey or somras the Kashmiri mainstream politicians drink, they are not going to make any impression on this new generation! The new generation of Kashmiris is beyond their control. They do not follow any leaders. They are leaders in themselves. Their alienation from the mainstream appears totally irreversible. They have spread the infection of “Azadi” throughout the length and breadth of Kashmir. In spite of the use of maximum force, the authorities are unable to control or cow them down. There can be no solution unless a way is found to address this generation. All out operations are not going to solve the problem. These are rather compounding it. Every killing is giving rise to ten new recruits. The only way is to address the basic political problem in an open and unconditional dialogue. The first and foremost requirement is to create a conducive atmosphere for that. The threats of obliterating the very existence through repealing of different legislations are going to add fuel to the already simmering fire. Let us hope all the politicians will forget about drinking various cups and concentrate on somehow bringing peace to the troubled paradise!

The Threat to Kashmiri Existence!

(Unprecedented shutdown against Supreme Court hearing on Article 35-A shows Kashmiris’ concern not only to protect their unique identity but their very existence!)

Before one delves on the threat to the existence and the identity, it would be worthwhile to describe the unique Kashmiri identity. There are many theories about the origin of Kashmiris. It is one of the most mysterious and exciting topics. Some say we are descendants of Aryans who came from Central Asia. However, one can say with certainty that we are not in any way very close to other inhabitants of the sub-continent especially those living in our southern neighbourhood. Physically we are of a fine stock, well built and tall. We have sharp and regular features. Generally people are lively and intelligent. Full of fun and fond of amusement. The beauty of our women has been well known and praised by writers and poets for a long time. We do look like an ancient race with complexions varying from very fair to ruddy and sometimes even blond. In Europe as well as in many other countries we are mistaken for Turks or Iranians or Greeks and in some cases as Spanish or Italians. Some people even call us the “White Indians”! Raj Tarangni describes original inhabitants of the valley as Pisacas and Nagas who used to create trouble for Brahmans. Kashmiri Brahmans popularly called Pandits form a distinct class of their own and can be considered to be the purest specimen of the ancient Aryan settlers in the valley. Rajtarangni also mentions that the valley was once a big lake (Sati Sar) which was drained by Kashyapa after killing the Demon Jalodbhava who was guarding its outlet in Baramulla. Well, the Geological formation of Karewas, layers of sedimentary clay deposits, found everywhere in the valley, does confirm the existence of a lake. There is only one definite and irrefutable scientific evidence about the beginning of human civilisation in Kashmir and that is the Neolithic (New Stone Age) dwelling sites in many parts of the valley out of which Burzahom site is the most studied and well known in the scientific community. The site is famous because it was the first such site discovered in Kashmir. It has dwelling pits, burial pits and some megaliths. The Neolithic (or the New Stone Age) Period of this site dates back to around 3,000 BC. In a way the place represents the site as well as the period where from the first inhabitants of our beautiful valley came. They could be termed the original Kashmiris who started inhabiting this valley like their counter parts in many other areas of the world. 

In ancient chronicles the land of Kashmir is extensively mentioned by Greek, Chinese, and Arab historians as a beautiful valley deep in the Himalayan Mountains. This Himalayan girdle very difficult to cross especially in ancient times has protected Kashmir’s unique identity for centuries. Mahmud of Gazhni and even Alexandre the Great could not cross the barrier! Kashmir has seen many religions through centuries. Saivite Hinduism, Budhism and finally Islam. All these religions had a peaceful and a very smooth change over. In ancient times and till sixteenth century Kashmir was an independent sovereign country. Mughals finally annexed it to their empire in 1586 by treachery after failing twice to subdue and conquer it by force. After that Kashmir went under Afghans, then Sikhs and finally the British sold it to Dogra Maharaja Gulab Singh of Jammu for rupees seventy five lakhs vide the infamous Treaty of Amritsar. During all these centuries of foreign rule, Kashmiris maintained their unique identity even though the foreign rulers turned them into miserable wretches draining out all civility and self-respect from them. All the foreign rulers like Mughals, Afghans, Sikhs and Dogras have gone into virtual oblivion. However, Kashmiris are still there with their unique identity.

 As revealed in the secret documents recently released by the British Home Office, as a result of the British Conspiracy hatched at the instance of Sir Winston Churchill when he still was the Prime Minister, the British divided the sub-continent and created the Kashmir dispute. This was done to forestall the Russian advance towards the warm waters of the Indian Ocean. A film on the subject is available on Netflix! The film is “Viceroy’s House”! Had this conspiracy not been hatched and put in practice, Kashmir may have emerged as an independent sovereign state in 1947 itself after the departure of the British! It has also been revealed that the so called tribesmen were not in reality Pathan tribesmen but mercenaries engaged by the British themselves from Hunza area. There are so many other revelations in the film made on the subject. As a result of this conspiracy and due to the blunder of their own popular leader, Kashmiris got themselves locked into a Gordian knot out of which they are unable to come out. During all these years there have been umpteen attempts to modify Kashmir’s unique identity linguistically, culturally and economically. However, all these attempts have failed. That has left only alternative of physically displacing them from the area. So far this has not been possible as the Dogra Maharaja Hari Singh in 1927 passed the state subject law to protect the identity of his subjects in all the three regions of the state. Maharaja in spite of his being a hereditary ruler loved his subjects and took care of them by safeguarding their future. The present attempt of repealing the Article 35-A of the Indian constitution is aimed at removing the state subject law thereby enabling the masses from the mainland to virtually drown Kashmiris in the flood of people which may come in by the removal of the barrier.

The two days complete shutdown is totally unprecedented in the recent turmoil. Everything was closed and off the road. Even the raidee walas (carts selling eatables etc.) and the auto-rickshaws were off the road. Not a single shikara moved on the Dal Lake. Even in the peak of militancy one had not witnessed such a total shutdown! This has given a clear warning to the new conspirators bent upon dissolving not only Kashmir’s unique identity but the very existence of a Kashmiri.  A Kashmiri may tolerate all the suppression and oppression but when it comes to safeguarding his unique identity and the very existence he can go to any length regardless of the consequences. It would be in the interests of the entire sub-continent if the message given by this unprecedented two day shutdown is heeded and measures are initiated not only to protect Kashmir’s existence and unique identity of its people but to address the basic political problem which has been plaguing not only the sub-continent but the entire South Asia for last 70 years. The sooner the advice is heeded, the better!

Adulterated Food and Fake Medicine

(The worst calamities for Kashmir apart from natural disasters are the adulteration in food products and the sale of fake medicine!)

Kashmiris have now become used to both natural and man-made disasters striking one after the other. In fact, Nature has been rather very kind and it is the fellow human beings whose material greed has turned into the instruments of disaster for the entire society. The journal of the Indian Law Institute carries an article about the survey conducted regarding food adulteration in the State of Jammu and Kashmir. The article is in vol. 31 of March-April 1989. (pp 91-105). The survey about food adulteration conducted at that time about sends shudders through one’s body. Imagine how much “progress” and “sophistication” has been achieved by these adulterers! There is a legislation to check food adulteration. It is the duty of the Health Officer of the Municipal Corporation to check food adulteration and take action under the act. The cases are tried in the Municipal Court. One does hear off and on about action taken to check adulteration. In fact, sometimes even major companies get hauled up. Unfortunately, the material greed has become so much widespread that it is impossible to fully check food adulteration. The worst suffers are the people from the lower strata of the society including the large number of slum dwellers. It is shocking how some of the human beings administer virtual poison to their fellow human beings just for material greed.

A few decades back in early fifties one would not hear so much about food adulteration. Yes, one would come to know about water being added to milk to increase its quantity. Even that too was rare. Those days the Municipal Authorities would be emptying pitchers of milk into River Jhelum because the milk in these was diluted with water! The Municipal Health Officer of those days was a nightmare for all these criminals! Not now! People can get away with anything because of corruption having entered the Kashmiri blood stream. There have been instances of detergent and blotting paper being added to milk, powdered bricks, saw dust and many other dangerous and poisonous materials being added to some spices. Even the bakers have been adding some chemical agents to bread and other confectionary to make it crisp and presentable.  Sometime back there were some cases registered against big firms dealing with various food products like milk and spices. However, after sometime the companies involved continued as before! One does not know what happened to those cases?

Adulterated food products are naturally bound to induce sickness among the consumers and they would need to be treated. The height of irony is that the drugs being prescribed for such and other illnesses too are fake! There is a massive racket of fake drugs in the State. There can be nothing more criminal than this! Again the cases of fake drugs have been there for quite some time. In 2013 there was a massive scam of fake drugs being supplied by the Jammu & Kashmir Medical Supplies Corporation to various hospitals. Two major supplies of life saving drugs to Kashmir-based government hospitals - antibiotic Maximizen-625 and Curesef - were found unfit and spurious by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation, Ministry of health and family welfare, and the local drug control department. In another case, chalk and clay were found mixed in these drugs which had been supplied almost for two years. In fact, 500 babies that had died could be because of drug adulteration. The medical superintendent of the Children Hospital had admitted that the babies could have died due to spurious drugs. Some of the well-known brands of medicine including anti-biotics are reportedly faked in Jammu and then supplied in the valley through various outlets. They are not ordinary criminals but real murderers! They deserve to be hanged in public. Unfortunately the procedures to prosecute these criminals are so lengthy that they have every chance of getting scot free. One cannot depend solely on the government for getting rid of the menace. It needs social awareness and a strong peoples’ movement not only to ensure the trial and prosecution of the caught criminals but a total social boycott and complete ostracization of these criminals from the society. All the Civil Society groups should take up these issues and ensure prosecution of the persons caught adulterating food products and manufacturing and selling fake drugs. There is also urgent need for not only political leaders but all the religious leaders to take up the issue of food adulteration and manufacture and the sale of fake drugs. People have not only to be made aware of the widely present menace but also motivated to ensure hauling up and prosecution of the persons found guilty of indulging in these offences.

The Environmental Suicide!

(The way we have been deliberately and knowingly destroying various components of Nature in Kashmir makes it look like an Environmental “Suicide”!) 

Recently there has been news about some dredging scam in the Wular Lake area where the contract given to a firm has been cancelled. The need for dredging of the second largest sweet water lake in Asia is a tragedy in itself! Kashmir has witnessed some of the worst episodes in its long history both in terms of human suffering and material destruction. However, the wanton destruction of its Environment during last few decades has no parallel in its entire 5,000 year old history. The destruction has been deliberate and intentional purely for material greed which has surpassed all limits. One does not know where to begin this tragic story as every facet of nature has suffered from this inhuman onslaught. Let us start from the water bodies as these have come into sharp focus due to the intervention of the State High Court. Dal Lake is virtually at the point of extinction. A massive water body has been reduced to a wide river but without any flow! If the flow had been there, one could have waited to get the original size of the lake back by removing encroachments by various means. Unfortunately the first action of our brilliant modern engineers was to stop the flow of water by filling up the centuries old canals which has transformed the lake into an oversized pond of stagnant water. The inflow of tons of raw sewage and untreated waste from over 2,000 house-boats and dozens of hotels on its banks has converted it into an oversized septic tank.

While taking care of the pollution of water bodies we must not forget the Wular, Manasbal, and the River Jehlum. All are threatened and are facing worst kind of pollution, most of it manmade. During the time of Maharaja the River Jehlum used to be dredged periodically and the silt was taken out of it. Dredging was done downstream to ensure good flow of water. In fact, one dredger was permanently stationed in Baramulla. No such operation has been undertaken for decades now. On the contrary we are dumping the entire muck from the City and other habitations on its banks straight into it without any treatment whatsoever. Vyeth or Vitasta as it was known in ancient Kashmir deserved a better treatment.

After water bodies, let us study the condition of our Mountains. The fate of these is starkly evident right from the first entry into Srinagar. The stone quarries of Pandh Chok show the great love and regard we have for our Mountains. These have been virtually “raped”. There is no other stronger word in English language which can depict the state to which these lovely and beautiful Mountains at the entrance of Srinagar have been brutally subjected to. It is like a lustful savage assaulting a beautiful lady by forcibly lifting her dress right from her feet! Right from this spot to Dara along the Zabarwan Range there are many quarry sites where the same story is being repeated. In addition, a road has been taken up the Mountain at the back of the cantonment and a number of buildings constructed on the ridge. It has completely disfigured this beautiful Mountain which gives a back drop to the city of Srinagar. It is not known whether the Forest and Environment Departments had cleared the construction of this road? The people who have done it should have at least had the decency of covering up these scars with fast growing shrubs and trees as was done in the case of the road going up the Shankaracharya hill for TV transmitter. Similar degradation has been done to karewas (sedimentary clay formations) by taking clay for constructing railway track and filling some water bodies for constructing colonies!

All our Mountains used to be covered with lush green and dense forests. In the earlier times these forests were so dense and near to the city that wild animals would be seen roaming in the lanes of old town especially in winter. Hundreds of migratory birds would fall into the backyards of the people during a heavy snowfall. Gone are those days! We have massacred our forests in a joint venture. During the peak of militancy the security forces and timber smugglers had joined hands for a very profitable enterprise. Truckloads of furniture were sent to different parts of the country. The felling in the forests especially next to the road heads was so indiscriminate that even very young trees were not spared. Some of the top forest lessees enjoyed official patronage and some are even now holding important offices in the Government of the day.

Kashmir used to be famous for wild life. The Dachigam National Park boasted of over 800 Hangul or Kashmir Stag. During the turmoil most of these got butchered by the conflicting parties as well as by the people living in villages at the periphery of the sanctuary. According to some reports the number had gone down to 150 or so. Hopefully, it may have started going up again in last couple of years or so? On the contrary, the vermin like Black bear have considerably increased in number and are a menace to the people living at the edges of the forests. The wetlands which provided home to hundreds of thousands of migratory birds seem to have gone out of focus and dried up!

The drastic climatic changes in Kashmir cannot be solely blamed on global warming. About 30 years back one could not even think of ceiling fans in Kashmir. Now some people have started using coolers and air conditioners. The famous short story writer Krishan Chander in one of his stories had shown Kashmiri farmers growing dates and coconuts! With the present climate change, it may soon come true!

Is there a solution to this problem? Can we stem this rot? Yes, we can. But it would need a multi-pronged approach. We have to begin with our children. Most important is the elementary level. Children have to be given lessons in Environment both theoretical as well as practical during their formative years. In addition, the leaders of all shades and hues have to unite to ensure mass support. All political “streams” have to join together to save the Environment. Surely they can at least unite on this important issue if they claim to be true leaders of the people? Finally, all efforts to safeguard and conserve our Environment can only be a real success if the Media, both electronic and print take it as a challenge and rising above commercial considerations, starts a dedicated and concerted campaign to make people aware about it and continuously laud efforts to save it.

Tourism gets low priority

(In spite of the fact that one and all claim Tourism to be back bone of Kashmir’s economy, yet the government does not seem to accord it the priority it deserves!)

Almost all the governments have been declaring from various pulpits that the Tourism is the backbone of Kashmir’s economy. Unfortunately, so far there is neither an approved “Policy of Tourism” nor a long term Master Plan for its development and promotion. Most of the projects and schemes such as setting up of Tourism Development Authorities are taken up on ad hoc basis. Merely a place being very attractive does not necessarily make it a good tourism destination. For any tourism development of an area there are three basic criteria, Potential, Accessibility and Infrastructure. The Government has constituted more than 20 Tourism development Authorities in different parts of the state, mostly on local demand or to satisfy certain constituencies. People have been given a feeling that Tourism is a magic wand and if it comes to their area, they will get prosperity. In fact, some time back, the Comptroller and Auditor general of India in its annual report had severely criticised the setting up of these authorities and creating of infrastructure there. They had stated that Rupees 500 crore spent on this was virtually infructuous expenditure. It would have been better to select only three to four areas easily approachable and having basic infrastructure instead of selecting at once 20 areas or so. In view of the fall in overall tourist figures due to unusual conditions, these new areas will mostly remain unutilised.

While the department is developing news areas, they should not forget the present destinations which are getting over developed and congested. There is urgent need to inspect all the existing tourist destinations and ensure that these do not become virtual slums because of overdevelopment. Especially, there is need to take care of environment which in many existing resorts is getting totally polluted due to garbage thrown everywhere including in the mountain streams and forest areas which are primary the main source of attraction. In this regard, the worst sufferers are our water bodies such as the famous Dal and Nagin lakes which had earlier been known for the purity of the waters. These are now virtually turning into stinking marshes overgrown with weeds!

Well, to take care of various aspects of Tourism one needs a professional Tourism Organisation. All over the world the official Tourism Organisations have specialists in various fields to take care of different aspects. One needs planners, environmental specialists, marketing professionals and legal experts and so on to take care of different areas both for development, marketing and regulation of the trade. The Government itself has only to develop the basic infrastructure and leave the super structure to private enterprise that need to be continuously monitored and regulated. As Margret Thatcher once said, “Government has no business to be in business”! Unfortunately, the State Tourism Department has always been treated as any other department and people posted there have no specialisation but are basically administrators either from the State Administrative Service or the All India Administrative Service. There is no harm in having the Chief Executive or the Head of the Organisation from the Administrative Service but he needs to have specialists and professionals related to different fields to assist him. Unfortunately, the present set up has only administration related officers at all levels. Some time back the organisation did have specialists especially related to Adventure Tourism which is presently the most sought after avenue in the state. Almost all of these have either retired from service or have been transferred out of the department. There is urgent need for the government to revamp the entire tourism organisation and get officers who are specialists in different fields especially, tourism planning, adventure tourism, marketing and regulation of trade and so on. The problem with only having persons from various administrative services is that these people usually have fixed tenure and as a matter of policy have to be circulated in different departments. In view of various aspects it is imperative that the Government takes an overall view of not only proper planning and the development  but also of the tourism organisation so that the activity becomes not only profitable but also environment friendly. Government must aim for sustainable tourism with emphasis on adventure tourism which has unlimited scope in different parts of the state both in summer as well as winter. Mere lip service of calling Tourism as the backbone of the economy will not do. It has to be practically shown on the ground by giving highest priority to activities related to development and promotion of tourism including the tourism organisation responsible for handling these activities!

Nepotism, Kashmir’s worst enemy!

The most destructive element in every sphere of Kashmir Society is the widespread nepotism! For any real progress it has not only to be opposed but eradicated)

Most of the ills in Kashmir in every sphere of the society emanate from extensive nepotism. It would be interesting to study the rise of nepotism and its prevalence in our parts. The Cambridge dictionary defines nepotism, as “the act of using your power or influence to get good jobs or unfair advantage for members of your own family”. The Oxford dictionary definition is, “The practice among those with power or influence of favouring relatives or friends, especially by giving them jobs”. However, the real meaning of the term and its origin is given in Wikipedia, “Nepotism is based on favour granted to relatives in various fields, including business, politics, entertainment, sports, religion and other activities. The term originated with the assignment of nephews to important positions by Catholic popes and bishops. The term comes from the Italian word nepotismo, which is based on the Latin word Nepos meaning 'nephew'. Since the Middle Ages and until the late 17th century, some Catholic popes and bishops, who had taken vows of chastity, and therefore usually had no legitimate offspring of their own, gave their nephews such positions of preference as were often accorded by fathers to son”.

Well, the most practical physical view of this definition on ground can be seen in Kashmir! Nepotism started in Kashmir almost at the same time as the movement for emancipation from centuries of subjugation started. Political nepotism refers to the act by which political leaders indulge in making their relations, often, sons and daughters as their heirs in assuming the highest offices in a state. However, Kashmir is not the only place where it is exercised. This “disease” is prevalent almost all over South Asia. Dr. Sukarno  and Sukarno Putri in Indonesia; Ferdinand Marcos and Imelda Marcos in Thailand; Solomon Bandranaike and Sirimavo Bandranaike in Sri Lanka; Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan; Sheikh Mujibur Rehman and Sheikh Hasina in Bangladesh and so on. As regards India, well the Nehru family ruled for almost 70 years! Presently, 100% of Indian MPs under age of 30 are hereditary! Two thirds of Indian MPs under the age of 40 are from political families. Nehru/Gandhi Clan – Congress, Abdullah Clan – National Conference, Amarinder Singh Clan – Congress, Devi Lal Clan – Indian National Lok Dal, Mishra Clan – BJP, Yadav Clan – Samajwadi Party (U.P.), Badal Clan – Akali Dal, Lalu Clan - RJD, Scindia Clan – BJP, Gowda Clan – Janata Dal, Karunanidhi Clan – DMK, NTR Clan – Telugu Desam Party etc. are some of the most popular instances of nepotism in Indian politics. Specifically, nepotism has become a part and parcel of state level politics. Regional parties are observed to have a higher ratio of hereditary MPs compared to national parties. All these sound like successions in a monarchical set up rather than elected parliamentarians or heads of government in democratic countries. Kashmir, of course has not been left behind. We had Abdullahs and now Muftis succeeding each other like in a monarchical set up.

The nepotism in highest political offices circulates down below throughout the government. In turn, it infects the entire civil society. Apart from Government set up and organisations, it has crept into civil, educational, religious and all other organisations, societies and even corporate families. The important positions sometimes get passed on to close relatives or even friends. In a political party normally the best and most capable people should man various positions. Similarly, in a religious organisation, the most learned and religious scholars should be the top leaders. The leadership of such organisations cannot be hereditary! Unfortunately, people always sacrifice principles in order to get some benefits to their own self and their relatives. Due to this widespread nepotism, the ultimate sufferer is the common Kashmiri. He is always taken for a ride by one and sundry! For last seventy years are so, nepotism has been officially encouraged to keep a hold on the political situation. With nepotism in every sphere of the society, it is impossible to get emancipation. If we want things to improve, the first and the foremost task is to eradicate nepotism from every sphere of the society apart from the government. It appears to be a herculean task. Can it be done? Well a beginning has to be made somewhere! In the alternative, we will keep on circling round and round for centuries!

Living with nightmares!

(The trauma caused by the disastrous flood of 2014 makes living in Srinagar’s low lying colonies virtually a continuous nightmare, especially during the rainy days!)

The recent flood caused by just a couple of days of continuous rain created a wave of panic among the people living in different parts of Srinagar especially those in the low lying areas of the city. Some of them had even started moving towards safer places and some had taken their possessions to upper floors! This is the third nightmare. The first one was last year and the second one early this year. It is truly living with nightmares!

The capacity of the River and the flood channel has been so much reduced that even a short spell of rain of couple of days creates a flood like situation. Nothing tangible has been done by the concerned departments during these four years. Rather both the River and the spill over channel have got more silted and further reduced in capacity because of encroachments on the embankments. Floods in Kashmir are a part of the history. These have been very devastating in the past also. Historically, Kashmir has suffered immensely due to floods which have often resulted in famine. However, in the recent times the only devastating flood in the living memory was the 2014 flood which inundated the capital city of Srinagar. According to reports a flood of such magnitude had occurred almost after a century! Experts, say such massive flood had been caused by the combination of western weather disturbances with the spill over of monsoons. There were innumerable cloud bursts over the mountains. According to satellite pictures, the main River had almost disappeared and there was a couple of kilometres wide sheet of water moving all along downstream!

Most of the inundated places in Srinagar had over 20 feet of water. All the posh colonies of the capital were under water for almost 20 days or so. Fortunately, there was not much loss of life due to the voluntary efforts of the people and the assistance of the Air Force and Army Engineers. However, there was immense loss of property and peoples’ possessions. The overall material loss ran into thousands of crores! People in some colonies had to stay in the top most floors or in the attics of their houses for almost a week before they were rescued. It was truly the worst nightmare of their lives! Most of the experts who analysed the disaster had observed that the flood was due to extreme vandalisation of the environment in the catchment areas and usurpation of the flood basin of the River.  Incidentally, the River which gave life to Kashmir has been fully vandalised and desecrated by us. The muck and filth of almost entire Kashmir is made to flow into the River. Its banks have been encroached in most places especially in the city of Srinagar. For last half a century or so no one has bothered to dredge it and take away the silt. Over and above everything else its flood basin has been snatched and converted into colonies. Where else will it go except overflow its banks and sometimes may even change course. Most of the wetlands and water bodies have either been filled up or encroached upon. The historical channel Nala-i-Mar has been filled up and converted into a road. We have hardly left any space for the extra water to flow anywhere. In the catchment areas, most of the rain water would normally get absorbed but now it runs down straight as we have totally denuded the catchment area of the River. In view of this we will always face the nightmare of a disastrous flood after every heavy rainfall even if it lasts only for a couple of days as happened recently.

There is no point in declaring Srinagar as a “Smart City” or improving its roads by flyovers and so on. The first thing is to secure it against the disastrous floods which may be visiting us off and on. There cannot be more pathetic and tragic fact than a couple of day’s rain being unwelcome in Kashmir which has always survived on rain! The rain used to be considered as a blessing but now it is a nightmare! There is no time left to apportion blame but the most immediate need is to undertake the urgent measures to secure the “City of the Sun” from floods. Not a difficult or impossible task. Only requirement is to get the job done honestly. It is a known fact that all engineering works are money minting proposals! For a change both the authorities and the people need to be honest and sincere. The task requires sincerity both from the government and the people. The lead has to be given by the popular leaders and prominent citizens supported by the government. Leaving the job totally to the government is virtually making preparations for the next disaster!

It has been often observed that most of the elected so called “popular” governments are corrupt to the core. Incidentally, at present we have a one man government which is honest, strong and a go getter. Having been a mountaineer and headed the Indian Mountaineering Foundation, he knows how to face the risks and get things done! People honestly feel that this system should continue till the city is secured against these not natural but man-made disasters. For a change the hordes of so called “political leaders” who have been virtually acting as leeches need to be sent on a holiday. A large number of non-resident Kashmiris who have been alarmed by the recent nightmare suffered by their kith and kin, in their comments too have observed that the present set up should continue till all the flood prevention measures are fully implemented. Will Delhi take a note of it! Let us hope they do?