Holiday on Hari Singh’s birthday creates row in Kashmir

A fifth spell of snow in Kashmir has brought life to a standstill with people protesting the administration’s failure to clear blocked roads and ensure power supply.

The authorities in Srinagar have confirmed that more than 50 houses have collapsed due to heavy snowfall. They said all vulnerable inhabitants have been shifted to safer places. Health care services have been impacted and reports from the rural areas said that many critical patients, especially pregnant women, are left stranded as the government has made no effort to provide facilities to inaccessible areas.

Reports said that snow-cutters were busy in the city and in the towns, leaving the hinterland unaided.

According to the meterological department, Kashmir this year has seen the heaviest snowfall in the past 25 years. Director of the met department, Sonam Lotus has confirmed that the latest snowfall has broken the records of heavy snowfalls witnessed in Kashmir in 1992 and 2006.

Thousands of vehicles carrying food, fuel and other essential commodities are stranded on the highway. Reports have further said that there have been fresh landslides on the highway, due to which it will not be opened for at least two more days.

The Divisional Commissioner of Kashmir has told the media that the restoration of electricity across the valley was a difficult task and the Power Development Department (PDD) was working on it.

LPG distributors have already said that they were running out of stocks due to the closure of the highway.

In uptown localities of Srinagar, water-logging has emerged as a major problem due to the melting of snow and because of rains. The authorities said that they would press the waterpumps into service and said that all these localities would be cleared of water very soon. The opposition Congress and the National Conference have locked horns in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly with the ruling PDP and BJP after the House passed a resolution to declare 23 September as a public holiday to mark the birth anniversary of Maharaja Hari Singh, the last Dogra ruler of the erstwhile princely state of J&K who had signed the Instrument of Accession to India in 1947.

The private member resolution was brought by Ajatshatru Singh, the grandson of the late Ma- haraja. Ajatshatru Singh asserted that the late ruler was responsible for the real development of J& K and his foot-prints were being erased because of prejudice. On Friday, the National Conference legislators described the resolution as unlawful as it was passed when the opposition members were not present in the Upper House. Independent legislator Engineer Rasheed pointed to the fact that the government celebrates 13 July as martyrs’ day in memory of the people killed by the army of the late Maharaja. He said that it would be a contradiction if the government also com- memorated the anniversary of Hari Singh.

The separatists have denounced the resolution. Hurriyat hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani said in a statement that it was ridiculous on the part of PDP-BJP to provide legitimacy to a cruel Dogra ruler who is responsible for the killings of Kashmiris during his rule.

It is in place to mention that on 24 January, the State Legislative Council passed the resolution to declare Hari Singh’s birthday as a state holiday when the members of the Opposition including from the NC and Congress had staged a walkout.