Srinagar: Never would have Nazir Ahmad Dar of Tengpora imagined that he would have to spend days and nights in a makeshift tent on the pavement of Srinagar-Baramulla Highway, but the devastating flood that hit Kashmir has for the time being made him homeless.
Dar, a businessman who few days back was renovating his three storey house for marriage of his daughter, is now living life in a tent at Tengpora here where only relief material distributed by local mohalla committees is his sole way of feeding his family of five members.
“I could never have imagined such a catastrophe would hit us, but this flood has changed my whole thinking,” he said, adding that his house has been damaged and business badly affected.
“Few days back I had a house and comfortable life but now today my only prized possession is this tent,” he said.
Dar is not the only person living on the pavement at Tengpora, but more than 75 families belonging to different areas of Srinagar city have erected small tents in the middle of the pavement of highway to provide shelter to their families.
Away from the comfort of their homes, these families are facing plethora of problems from shortage drinking water to food.
“Our families male and female members are living on the road,” they said adding that the flood was a nightmare for whole Kashmir which has shattered many lives and dreams, ‘but it is the collective efforts which will help us to revive.’
The families accuse state government and authorities of not paying any heed to their pleas.
“We have not seen any government official or relief team who has come to this place so far. For last two weeks we are living like beggars and nobody is coming to our help, barring few times the local mohalla committee came up with relief material,” said Jabeena, a resident of Padshahi Bagh who is currently putting up in the makeshift tent along with her family.
Bashir Ahmad, a resident of Tengpora, recalls that after Jhelum water entered Tengpora and its adjoining areas, people were calling each other for help.
“After surviving the flood waters we erected makeshift tents on the highway, while our houses are still waterlogged,” he said.
The residents of Tengpora said that government has failed to even dewater their area.
Author
Mukeet Akmali
Dar, a businessman who few days back was renovating his three storey house for marriage of his daughter, is now living life in a tent at Tengpora here where only relief material distributed by local mohalla committees is his sole way of feeding his family of five members.
“I could never have imagined such a catastrophe would hit us, but this flood has changed my whole thinking,” he said, adding that his house has been damaged and business badly affected.
“Few days back I had a house and comfortable life but now today my only prized possession is this tent,” he said.
Dar is not the only person living on the pavement at Tengpora, but more than 75 families belonging to different areas of Srinagar city have erected small tents in the middle of the pavement of highway to provide shelter to their families.
Away from the comfort of their homes, these families are facing plethora of problems from shortage drinking water to food.
“Our families male and female members are living on the road,” they said adding that the flood was a nightmare for whole Kashmir which has shattered many lives and dreams, ‘but it is the collective efforts which will help us to revive.’
The families accuse state government and authorities of not paying any heed to their pleas.
“We have not seen any government official or relief team who has come to this place so far. For last two weeks we are living like beggars and nobody is coming to our help, barring few times the local mohalla committee came up with relief material,” said Jabeena, a resident of Padshahi Bagh who is currently putting up in the makeshift tent along with her family.
Bashir Ahmad, a resident of Tengpora, recalls that after Jhelum water entered Tengpora and its adjoining areas, people were calling each other for help.
“After surviving the flood waters we erected makeshift tents on the highway, while our houses are still waterlogged,” he said.
The residents of Tengpora said that government has failed to even dewater their area.
AuthorMukeet Akmali
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