Suhail Bhat
Srinagar, Oct 1: People in large numbers are seen violating COVID SOPs and guidelines at a Funfair Mela in Pampore, in the outskirts of Srinagar, even as COVID cases continue to rise in Kashmir.
Every day, hundreds of people, mostly children, travel from all over Kashmir to Pampore for the “funfair mela,” in which the management flout government-issued standard operating procedures and social distancing norms.
“On the one hand, the administration imposes restrictions and declares COVID containment zones in certain parts of Srinagar, while violations in other parts go unnoticed. Why is the administration treating people unfairly and endangering their lives? The government should intervene as soon as possible because this area has the potential to become a super spreader,” a local, Riyaz Ahmad, said.
According to eyewitnesses, chaotic scenes were witnessed at the Mela every day, and visitors can be seen openly violating the COVID-19 protocol. “There was a massive rush of visitors at the Mela who maintain no social distance or gap. There was a complete lack of leadership”, a visitor who preferred not to be identified said. He said that the majority of visitors were not wearing proper facemasks and that officials had taken no preventative measures to control the crowds.
The Mela is being held at the proposed location for Srinagar’s IT Park, which was recently announced in the Sampora area on the outskirts of the city. The location is on the border between the two districts of Srinagar and Pulwama, with land belonging to both districts.
Residents said that despite an increase in COVID-19 cases in both districts, authorities are turning a blind eye to the violations. Srinagar district is the worst-affected in the Valley, with over 55 percent of cases reported in September, while Pulwama district has the highest number of cases in South Kashmir.
In the ten districts of Kashmir valley, 3,056 new COVID infections were reported in September. In the Srinagar district, 1,771 of these have been reported. “That’s a 55.5 percent share,” according to a senior official with access to COVID data.
Similarly, 258 cases of infection were reported in the districts of Anantnag, Pulwama, Kulgam, and Shopian.
Deputy Commissioner Pulwama, Baseer-ul Haq Chaudhary told Excelsior that he had already instructed the concerned officer to ensure that SOPs were followed. “I have asked the concerned Tehsildar to look into it, and he is already looking into it,” he said.
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