Anger mounts in Kashmir after worst flood in

over century
BY KRISTA MAHR AND FAYAZ BUKHARI-Sat Sep 13, 2014
(Reuters) - Residents of Kashmir turned their wrath on
state administrators, accusing them of failing to provide them with help after the worst
flooding in over a century, and angrily dumped food parcels into gutters.
A week into the disaster, which one state official estimates could cost close to $ !illion
in damages, large parts of "rinagar - the capital of #ammu and Kashmir - lay under
water with many people still trapped atop their homes, and others crowded in relief
camps.
$heir misery has added to pro!lems of the administration in a %uslim-ma&ority region
where a revolt against 'ndian rule has simmered for nearly a (uarter century.
%any complain that the government, which has maintained a heavy presence in the
territory to keep a lid on the revolt, has left them to their fate.
Residents stranded for days !y the floodwaters said that the army has selectively
evacuated tourists and people according to a pre-set priority list, leaving locals to !e
rescued later !y volunteers.
)elicopters came, and we waved our arms,* said Aasiya Kutoo, who was living at a
temporary shelter. +,o!ody came for us. ,o!ody in our area was rescued !y air.*
-utside one mos(ue-turned-camp in "rinagar, food supplies dropped earlier in the day
!y a military helicopter were strewn in a gutter, re&ected.
.eople said we don/t need this government food,* said ,ayeem, who lives in the
neigh!ourhood. )e said since the state of 'ndia occupied Kashmir, they were only
providing relief out of duty. +'f another state occupied this land, they would !e !ound
to do the same.*
0oth the 'ndian and .akistan sides of the disputed )imalayan territory have !een hit
!y e1tensive flooding since the #helum river, swollen !y unusually heavy rain, surged
last week. $he river flows from Kashmir to the .akistan side, and then down into
.akistan2s lower 'ndus river !asin.
$he government has put the death toll at 344 in the part of Kashmir it controls !ut
there are fears that num!er will rise as the damage to "rinagar, a city of one million,
and villages in southern Kashmir is fully revealed.
-n the .akistani side, officials put the death toll at 356 on 7riday.
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%any residents are deeply resentful of what they say has !een a complete a!sence of
their local government and police in the wake of the disaster.
-thers drew a comparison to the thousands of police the state has deployed in the past
to put down pu!lic protests against 'ndian rule, !ut were now nowhere to !e seen.
'f there is a single stone pelted, there are a hundred police out !eating one person,*
said %egha 9ar, a teacher living in a temporary camp. +:here are they now; :here
are the ministers;*
)undreds of thousands of soldiers are deployed in the Kashmir <alley, where the army
says it has succeeded in putting down the armed groups that it !elieves are supported
!y .akistan.
A senior army official said it was unfortunate that the rescue effort had !een
politici=ed. +-ur air force does not permit selective rescue,* he said. +$he population
has !een affected !y a tragedy. $his reaction is a reflection of their lack of faith in the
civic administration.*
A new generation of young Kashmiris, who have grown up with house raids and army
checkpoints, feel increasingly angry at 'ndian rule and champion street protests rather
than the violent militancy that characteri=ed the >>4s.
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"everal government employees decried that !asic needs were not !eing met in the
capital. $wo government doctors said pu!lic hospitals were understaffed, and short on
!asic supplies and medicine.
$he local government is totally crippled,* added Riya= Ahmad, an officer with the
la!our department, who was volunteering at a civilian-run relief camp. +$here has
!een no communication from my superiors. 8very department is totally defunct.*
<inod Kaul, revenue secretary for the state who is overseeing relief, admitted that the
situation was Aout of controlA in the first few days of flooding !ut said authorities were
now working alongside the army and disaster response teams and supporting BB
camps set up across the region.
A$he loss is huge, !oth to pu!lic infrastructure and private houses,A he said, estimating
damages could cost !etween C4 and 54 !illion rupees ($>D> million).
$he state has asked the government in 9elhi for an additional 34-B4 water pumps to
add to the si1 they have already received, Kaul said.
#ammu and Kashmir @hief %inister -mar A!dullah said the severity of the floods had
knocked out his administration in the first few hours itself. 0ut it had since recovered
and was trying to do its !est to deliver aid.
)e said part of the pro!lem was people did not heed flood warnings !roadcast from
government vehicles and mos(ues last weekend.
(8diting !y "an&eev %iglani and #eremy Eaurence)
.osted !y $havam