Flash floods in Kashmir have virtually put administrative machinery out of gear. No administrative mechanism is in place. Offices and infrastructure remains submerged, connecting roads remain flooded and inaccessible, functionaries stand marooned, and whereabouts of many of them are still unknown. It has come so suddenly and so forcefully that people had not the time even to tie the laces of their boots. Horrendous tales of getting marooned will come to light in due course of time. Though the level of water has been receding in different parts of the city of Srinagar, yet normalcy is still a distant cry. We are yet to face the aftermath of floods in the shape of scarcity of food grains and essentials of life, clean drinking water, rebuilding of damaged bridges and culverts and roads and re-establishment of communication system. It is a long drawn affair and the State administrative machinery will be faced with many problems and difficulties. Floods have impacted entire spectrum of life in the Valley.
The judiciary is among the most adversely affected areas of the State. Functionality at both higher and subordinate levels of judiciary has come to grinding halt. The entire infrastructure and record in all the seven mostly affected districts of the State is no more extent. Premises of the High Court and the subordinate courts like the Saddar court in Srinagar all remain submerged in water some up to two and some up to one storey. Nobody expects that the records will be retrieved in full and cases can be rebuilt. Even judges got stranded completely and became immoveable owing to the inundated streets and lanes. Chief Justice has written to the Government to provide the infrastructure to the judiciary as it has been totally washed off by the recent floods. He would very much like to open the court in a rented place and begin normal business at a modest level.
The Government cannot be faulted for anything whatsoever. Even the Chief Minister says that he had no Government and most of the ministers got stranded and isolated without any telephonic connection. It has been a situation of utter chaos in the Valley. One is shuddered to imagine how the records of the judiciary in all seven affected districts stand damaged beyond any hope of recovering these. In this extraordinary situation, the first and foremost thing to do is to be calm and face the challenge with renewed hope and effort of reconstructing the devastated valley. There should be no harm if the High Court begins to function from a rented accommodation. District court of seven largely affected courts could also follow suit.
The more discouraging part of the story is that the lawyers and advocates who were handling innumerable cases of civilian population too have had their share of losses from the floods. Their records, office and paraphernalia all are spoiled and it may not be possible for them to retrieve the record unless the Government takes extraordinary efforts in rebuilding their status. This situation of chaos is not to be found only in judiciary; it is the general phenomenon of floods ravaged Kashmir. The only institution that is functional today is of the armed forces and the air force that have been commanded to do all they could do to rescue the beleaguered population and provide them elementary medical support so that they are able to restate their lives. Though, the army is the only visible official presence in the Valley at the moment but it is deployed on purely humanitarian task. Once it completes its task it will relocate in their original places in or outside the State. More than a hundred thousand army jawans are deployed on rescue service and they have rescued nearly 1.5 lakh of stranded people, men, women and children and taken them to safe places.
In all probability, after flood water recedes and things gradually limp back to normalcy, the State Government shall have to plan for a new city of Srinagar to be laid out on the heights adjoining the old city of Srinagar. The plateau on which the airport has been built could be ideal for laying the foundation of a new city that would be safe from floods for all times. Anyway that is a distant thing, but immediately, the State Government machinery should move in and begin handling of state administration focusing on converting all efforts, plans and projects on the rehabilitation of devastated population of Srinagar. Dewatering of low lying areas has to be taken on massive scale and all preventive measures have to be taken to see to it that epidemic does not spread owing to stagnated waters that breed dangerous insects. Cash relief has to be provided to those who are rendered destitute in letter and in spirit. In short tremendous weight of administrative measures remains to be carried by the State Government. Fortunately entire country is at the back of the State Government ready to render whatever help they can.
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