Brig Anil Gupta
Jammu and Kashmir has experienced the worst tragedy in the living memory of many people. It’s still reeling under the effect of massive devastation caused due to unprecedented rains and floods in the first week of September. But for the heroic and selfless efforts of the Indian Armed Forces and the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) the magnitude of the tragedy would have been unimaginable. The tragedy is not over as yet; while I sit down to pen my thoughts. There is extreme resentment and anger among the public for total collapse and callousness of the civil administration. The Chief Minister has tried to give many reasons and justify the absence of governance. But any amount of justification cannot condone the fact that when the administration was needed the most it was conspicuous by its absence. To say that there was no government for 36-48 hours amounts to playing a crude joke with the traumatised public.
I would not hesitate to say that there has been a total lack of display of leadership qualities by the senior hierarchy of the State led by the Chief Minister and his Council of Ministers. Their behaviour, statements and actions (or inaction) tantamount to abandoning a sinking ship by the Captain and its officers, a Court Martial offence. Many weird and unreasonable excuses and logic has been given to justify the total collapse of the civil administration. Let us examine them one by one. The employee themselves were trapped and there was no government for 36-48 hours in absence of communications, is nothing but a lame excuse. What use is the administration which collapses like a house of cards during an emergency? There is something known as “Contingency Planning”, where were the contingency plans. J and K is fortunate to have two capital cities. If Srinagar was marooned the secretariat should have been functional from Jammu. It was a matter of decision-making and ordering the concerned people to start functioning. The alternative means of communication should have been used. In this high-tech era there is no dearth of alternative means including satellite phones the request for which should have been flashed to the Government of India. Till that time the army’s communication network should have been used. Where there is will there is a way, is an old saying but alas the Chief Minister forgot it when needed most. There were areas of the State that were less affected or not affected at all; the government staff from these regions should have been deputed to form an ad hoc control room.
Where was the police? It is a uniformed force and supposed to have some semblance of discipline, devotion to duty and organised structure of command and control. Was the entire JKP marooned? The answer is obviously “NO,” then where were they? The police must definitely be having the contingency plans for such disasters. Why they were not made operational? Why the Chief Minister who is also the Home Minister didn’t insist on moving police personnel from the unaffected areas? The anger of the people is justified. The rescue teams did not reach the affected areas because there were no local guides available with the army and NDRF. The police should have provided these. After, the people were rescued and brought to safer places they were left to fend for themselves. One or two reps from the civil administration should have been sufficient to plan the administration at the relief camps. The lists of the rescued people especially those belonging to Jammu and other areas should have been prepared.
This would have provided succour to their worried and harried relatives. An efficient government would have anticipated all this and put contingency plans into action. No thought was given to pooling of local resources. Had local resources been pooled and used the rescue teams would have addressed many localities simultaneously.
What happened to the State Disaster Management Battalions? A big fraud has been played with the citizens of the State. These battalions were found wanting in every respect. Somebody needs to be held accountable and answerable for the lack of requisite number of boats. I am given to understand that large numbers of stores though purchased were not found when needed. Where are they? Have they actually been purchased? Maybe, there are many skeletons in the cupboard. State should be having medical teams for disaster mitigation. But they have not been deployed as yet. Army has overstretched its resources. It has established four field hospitals in addition to augmenting the resources of 92 Base Hospital. This has been done at the cost of providing medical cover to service personnel and their families. An excellent example of Service Before Self.
Another weird logic given by the politicians of the ruling coalition which I refuse to accept is that their presence is not being felt because they do not wear uniform. It is only in the Communist system that leaders and public servants wear uniform because they do not represent the people but the Party. In a democratic set up like ours it is just unimaginable to think that elected representatives can say that they are not being recognised by the people. What a shame? It implies that they are mere arm-chair managers and not the elected representative of their people. It is in the hour of crisis that the true leadership qualities come to the fore and the real leaders stand out while the managerial type, desert the scene. In this hour of crisis, alas, no real leader has emerged. They should have taken a leaf out of the way the army functioned despite all the handicaps and they themselves being victim of the floods. Some politicians even went to the extent of remarking that it is army’s job. They need to be reminded that it is not the army’s primary role and particularly in the Valley the army’s manpower and resources are fully committed for operational purposes. It is to the credit of army’s leadership that they threw all rules and procedures to the wind and jumped to undertake the rescue operations without waiting for formal requests. In doing so, they once again displayed their genuine commitment to the Awam. Despite grave provocation by some anti-national, misguided section of the people who have tried to disrupt the army and IAF’s herculean effort by stone pelting and physical assaults, the men in uniform have displayed their total devotion to duty.
Like other disasters this too shall pass. Despite failure of political leadership and administrative machinery; the resolve of the people of the State, self-less service of the Armed Forces and resilience of the Indian nation would ensure that Kashmir does not become a lost paradise. Jammu and Kashmir is the crown of the nation and the Indians are very proud and possessive of the State. The Indian nation would ensure the rise of Kashmir like a phoenix.
