kashmir

“In the long run, we have to move beyond lockdowns and remain vigilant… we need to make certain changes in our lives,” said the flamboyant, active mayor of Srinagar in an exclusive interview.

The people of Kashmir have learnt some important survival lessons from coping with decades of conflict and resulting restrictions. So much so that Kashmiris living elsewhere are now calling home for advice on how to cope with life under lockdown.

A group of 21 Kashmiri traders who came to Chandigarh in winter, as they have been doing for decades, are now stuck there because of the lockdown, and have found unconditional support from the local population.

Downtown Srinagar is still the place you should visit to sample the real essence of Kashmir — its artistic, social, cultural and spiritual heritage. But decades of official neglect and social unrest is slowly killing it all.

Those are just the figures since August 5th, as quoted in a report from the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Underlying these figures is the angst of thousands who did not get their salaries, students who struggled to prepare for crucial exams and many more.

As we come to the end of the year, a look at some of the most topical, important and appreciated stories of 2019.

Hospitable, caring and offering opportunities for a decent living — that is how most of them see the city. Thus, despite the tension and reports of attacks on non-Kashmiris in the days following the abrogation of Article 370, they decided to stay put. And they have not regretted it.

Countless manufacturing units in the once-thriving textile sector lie idle today, and 80% of the two lakh people directly and indirectly employed by the industry have returned home. The Kashmir clampdown may not be the only reason, but is making matters worse for sure.

A 11-member fact-finding team recently visited Srinagar among other places in Kashmir, and saw a ghost town in place of the picturesque, vibrant city that once was. The clampdown on essential services, mobility, communication and trade has made life in this ‘paradise’ an ordeal.

Loss of daily wages, indefinite suspension of school sessions, unpaid salaries, delayed infrastructure projects — as Indo-Pak conflict and its spiralling effect in Kashmir dominate headlines, its impact on the common man is often ignored.

Several studies on pollution in the Dal Lake have pointed to the impact of the waste discharged by houseboats operating on the lake; yet rehabilitation or realignment of these may not be the only solution for saving the lake.

Almost synonymous with Kashmir, the Dal Lake is dying a slow death, marred by ineffective sewage disposal, rampant encroachments and inefficient administration. The J&K High Court, too, has observed that “crores have been spent so far, but nothing has happened on the ground.”