SRINAGAR, Sept 17:
Several youth from unaffected areas have come forward to help those stranded in the devastating floods that have struck the Kashmir valley by rescuing them and providing food.
It has been the rebirth of voluntary activism in the Valley with a lot of youth joining the efforts by the local population to help their own people in the times of need.
Youth from Srinagar’s downtown locality grouped together to help the people in the affected areas daringly rescuing those stranded in the upper storeys of their houses and other buildings and arranging food for them.
At many places, people, especially from the local mosque committees, collected relief and cooked food for others.
“It is our duty to come to the rescue of our brothers and sisters in the time of need. Our areas have been saved and it is an opportunity for us to do good deeds,” Owais Ahmad, a volunteer from Ganderbal, said.
Ahmad said those stranded even in their homes were not able to get food and so the people from other areas had to help.
“We gathered as much food items as we can, like rice, vegetables, oil and milk and ourselves took that to the flood affected areas,” he said.
The people from Ganderbal and other areas arranged boats and trucks, taking them and relief to the affected areas and rescuing the stranded people in the initial days of the flood.
“We took boats from many localities and went on the rescue mission. We rescued many people and provided relief to others,” another volunteer Riyaz Wani said.
Similarly, the youth from many areas of downtown Srinagar helped a lot in rescue and relief of the stranded people.
“Those stranded were our brothers. They needed our help and we had to show our support,,” Tanveer Ahmad Dar said.
“We managed to reach those places where even army and NDRF did not reach,” Dar claimed
Even after many days since the flood, the youth still continue to help others in one way or the other.
As most of the main roads in the city are still inaccessible, the link roads and lanes are mostly choked with the traffic and in absence of traffic police regulating the flow of the vehicles becomes a difficult task.
The youth in such areas take it upon themselves to stand on the roads and manage the traffic all day.
“We are here all day and manage the traffic. We understand most of the traffic police personnels are themselves stranded and so we had to take the traffic management in our own hands,” a youth Faizan Nabi of Aloochi Bagh locality in Srinagar said.
He said Kashmiris are themselves to blame for the traffic jams as the drivers usually choke the roads by blocking the incoming traffic by way of making more than two lanes.
“Everyone is in a rush and wants to reach his place in no time. They do not care for others and block roads, sometimes for hours. So, we had to come out to manage the situation,” Nabi said.
Even in the relief camps like the one in Kashmir University, most of the people, helping in taking care of those people who left their homes, were youth.
In the first two days of the establishment of the camp, it had around 50 volunteers including doctors to look after the homeless and needy.
“Most of the volunteers here are the students of the university. Some have come from the nearby areas and are helping in this hour of crisis,” Javed Ahmad, one such volunteer, said.
Ahmad said many people were bringing in relief from other areas of Srinagar and outside of it and it was the spirit of volunteering for the society that connects them.
“We are all brothers. There are non-locals as well here and we help them as well. There is no discrimination. We will help them in whichever way we can,” he added. (PTI)
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