Dr Farooq Abdullah had sought an inquiry into this mishap as to why the temporary tents and community kitchens set up at the particular stretch where there is every apprehension of water would wreak havoc!
Mohd Irfan
As the prestigious Holy Pilgrimage Amarnath is going on smoothly amidst fool proof arrangements made by the Divisional administration of Kashmir and Divisional administration of Jammu so that devotees who have to undertake Journey of Yatra don’t face any sort of inconvenience at their ends.
Even the Lieutenant Governor (LG) Jammu and Kashmir did not leave any stone unturned to ensure hassle free pilgrimage this year and well prepared to any kind of terror activity. Terrorists would not able to succeed in their nefarious designs of hampering yatra at any cost. But recent devastating tragedy what the administration stated that ‘cloudburst’ occurred at the Amarnath shrine triggered the flash floods as such claims precious lives.
As this tragedy which results in loss of precious lives of the devotees little did, they knew before embarking on the Holy pilgrimage that they would lose their lives in the flash floods. But alas! Destiny has something else store for them as they left for heavenly abode.
When this flash floods swamped the whole area near the Amarnath shrine where in as per reports temporary tents and community kitchens were destroyed which triggered fear psychosis amongst the devotees who were there at that relevant point of time.
Administration despite made hectic arrangements for the yatra, couldn’t able to rescued the precious lives of the devotees. Indian meteorological department (IMD) who vested with powers to apprised about the weather across the country as to when would rain occurs, climate be clear and cloudy etc related to the Meteorology.
As this incident happened it spreads like wildfire across the country adding, as those devotees who have to embark on the Journey to Pilgrimage, they frightened given the flash floods occurred. Now, given the statement made by the Director IMD in regard to the flash floods, whether due to the cloudburst flash floods happened or due to the continuous rain triggered flash floods. IMD categorically stated that no cloudburst took place rather it’s a continuous rain which triggers flash floods.
Since the IMD made the statement of no Cloudburst which the administration claimed, now the administration is came under severe criticism from the different quarters as to why the administration made blatant lie to the public at large that tragedy of flash floods occurred due to the cloudburst. Experts divulged that administration passed the buck that due to the cloudburst flash floods occurred adding, they know fully well that if they uttered incessant rains caused the flash floods then it would death knell for the administration as such the administration chosen to play safe by putting onus that the Natural disaster taken place.
Since the LG has done enough exercise prior to beginning of the Pilgrimage and this disaster took place due to lapses on the part of management, he should order a probe into this tragedy, so that similar catastrophe could be avoided in future.
The author is practicing law at High Court Jammu
