Srinagar, Oct 1, KNT: Public anger erupted across several flood-affected localities of Srinagar as inhabitants staged protests and dharnas against what they termed official apathy in the wake of the devastating September floods.
Eyewitnesses said hundreds of people from Mehjoor Nagar assembled to protest alleged irregularities in relief distribution. Demonstrators claimed that while authorities had stated that 352.5 quintals of rice were dispatched to the area, only 89.60 quintals actually reached beneficiaries. They demanded clarification from the Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution department regarding the alleged shortfall and sought accountability for the missing supplies. Protesters also alleged that no senior official had visited the locality to assess ground realities.
Inhabitants further complained that lanes and by-lanes in Mehjoor Nagar remained choked with heaps of garbage, accusing the Srinagar Municipal Corporation of failing to undertake sanitation drives in flood-hit areas.
Similar demonstrations were reported from Qamarabad, Qamarwari, Bemina, Batamaloo, Barzulla, Raj Bagh and Padshahi Bagh. In Barzulla, residents briefly blocked the Srinagar Airport Road, alleging acute shortage of potable water in the locality.
At Raj Bagh, protesters from Jawahar Nagar, Raj Bagh and Ikhraj Pora raised slogans against the government, alleging that dewatering operations had not been carried out effectively despite large portions of residential areas remaining submerged for weeks. They claimed that no minister or elected representative had visited the affected neighbourhoods during the prolonged crisis.
In Batamaloo, demonstrators burnt tyres and demanded immediate restoration of drinking water supply, electricity and clearance of accumulated waste.
The widespread protests disrupted vehicular movement in several parts of the city, causing inconvenience to commuters and pedestrians as flood-hit inhabitants continued to press for relief and basic civic services. [KNT]
