The crisis in Kashmir is of enormous magnitude and similar to that faced in Uttrakhand. After experience and ‘fortunate’ ready presence of the army within the State the rescue in Srinagar was much faster. Day to day evacuation is almost at double the speed. The air force effort and the aircrafts employed were three times while the terrains are akin. The visit by the Prime Minister, Home Minister, MoS from PMO and the Army Chief decidedly gave greater fillip to allocations and efforts of evacuation and relief. The three forces, army, navy and air force have been employed in addition to the National Disaster Response Force. The Chief Minister himself got involved and the local police added to relief efforts.
Unfortunately, the Valley being like a bowl provides little scope for gravitational flow out of water that has to get absorbed or evaporated in a time consuming phased manner. Faced with such calamities, crisis and upheaval, it is most important to retain one’s calm, courage, faith in the Almighty God, destiny and keep the hopes alive and the will to survive determined. The intelligentsia, the elders and the various religious heads can play a great role in re-building the sagging morals of the weaker sections of the society. The political parties of all denominations, ‘including separatists’, should feel one with the suffering people and be with them building their physical and moral courage and organising youth in recue operations. What a grand opportunity of remorse for the stone pelting criminals of yester-years given amnesty; to serve the society to which they belong.
It is most unfortunate that there are reports of coaxing of already harassed hapless population to oppose rescue operations. The attack on NDRF man and stoning of helicopters with the Gherao of helipad near Raj Bhawan are the examples of the poorest human response towards ‘Massihas’ of goodwill, help and rescue. What a contrast to the gratefulness expressed by people of Ladakh, Jammu, Poonch, Jharkhand and to all other ‘Aid to Civil Power’ operations undertaken by our troops.
Have the elders, the leaders, the guiding stalwarts of the society in the trouble torn Kashmir Valley lost all their sense of proportions and concern for what is good for the people they claim to represent?