News
Flood dampens Eid festivity in Indian-occupied Kashmir
xinhua
SRINAGAR: Contrary to the shopping spree ahead of Eidul Azha festival in Indian-occupied Kashmir, markets on Sunday presented a deserted look and gloomy picture with no merchandise and shoppers.
The markets in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian-occupied Kashmir and other districts, were severely hit by last month’s devastating floods. Officials said the floods inflicted an estimated loss of $16 billion and severely hit region’s economy. “The recent floods wreaked havoc and have taken off sheen from lives of people,” said Muneebul Islam, a news photographer. “ There are no signs of festivity around this time.” Most of the traders were seen busy clearing muck and debris from their shops and business centers.
The floods have severely hit the markets and over a month a severe decline has been registered in sales and commercial activity, said Mir Waseem, a businessman. President of the Kashmir Traders and Manufacturers Federation Muhammad Yaseen Khan told media the region was passing through a hard phase. “The main trading hubs in Kashmir were decimated by flood and business community has virtually become bankrupt,” Khan said. “Our economy is passing through the worst ever phase in the history. “The sale of sacrificial animals also recorded a decline and less enthusiasm was seen among people to purchase sacrificial animals. Reports quoting mutton dealers said the sale of sacrificial animals is down by 60 percent this Eid.
The Kashmir Center for Social and Development Studies (KCSDS), a Srinagar-based civil society group last month said that the Indian-held Kashmir has suffered a loss of over $16 billion to infrastructure and business due to the recent devastating floods. The floods hit the region during the first week of this month and were described as “the worst in a century” by the region’s chief minister Omar Abdullah. Some 2,600 villages and several towns including Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian-held Kashmir, were badly hit by the flooding. Up to now, some areas are still submerged in water, resulting in colossal damage to housing, agriculture, transport and business sectors.
Officials said around 300 people were killed in the floods, triggered by heavy downpour. The devastating flood wiped out large portion of both public and private infrastructure as well as business in Srinagar and in three southern districts of Anantnag, Pulwama and Kulgam. “Loss is too heavy and our preliminary estimates show the region suffered a massive damage to infrastructure and business valued at millions of dollars,” Shakeel Qalander, a top industrialist told Xinhua on Friday. “The worst hit was the housing sector and other infrastructure projects.”
Qalander is member of KCSDS and was a former member of India’s former prime ministers Manmohan Singh’s reconstruction program for Jammu and Indian-held Kashmir. KCSDS has experts on the economy, academe, health, engineering and business in its core group. According to the center, of the 2.5 million houses in Indian-occupied Kashmir as per 2011 census, at least 3 million houses have either been completely or partially damaged and most of those damaged are rendered unsafe for living. KCSDS estimates have pegged damage to housing sector at 4.9 billion dollars. The local government has announced it would provide cash relief of $1,140 to the owners of totally damaged houses.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk