No plan B
With last two months being disturbing as far as the status of the Jammu-Srinagar national highway is concerned, the government has failed miserably for putting a plan B in action.
The highway has been troubling everybody from the past two months. From an average commuter to a common man in the state everybody has been hit badly by the prolonged closure of the highway.
The most affected have been the stranded passengers in Jammu and Srinagar who would have faced virtual starvation and death in case some civil society and religious groups would not have stepped in and provided help to the needy.
In Jammu it was these groups which came to the rescue of thousands of Kashmiris who were stranded in the winter capital for days owing to closure of the Srinagar-Jammu highway.
Most of the stranded passengers were accommodated in a madrassa in Bathindi area, while many were given shelter in GurdwaraBibi Chand Kour and a temple near the bus stand.
The initiative was taken by some religious groups including the Sikh community which opened up various Gurudwaras to help the stranded passengers. Besides, volunteers also served food to the distressed people at the BaweWali Mata temple at Bahu Fort.
Even a political party, National Conference opened its Jammu headquarters Sher-e-Kashmir Bhawan for some distressed passengers and tried to chip in with some help to provide some relief to the passengers who have been left at the mercy of God by the administration.
The Jammu-Srinagar Highway has not faced a closure for the first time. The highway has been giving trouble to the commuters since long now. However, what is worrying is the callous attitude of the present government in providing a plan B which could have eased the miseries the people faced due to the closure of the road.
This time round we have witnessed that the stranded passengers had to face lot of trouble as some elements in the Jammu region are hell bent on creating a communal divide among the people of the state. That being the reason that some stranded passengers were not only attacked but also threatened at various places.
It is for the first time that the stranded passengers were over charged at various places in Jammu city and even people were asked to pay for getting their mobile phones charged at some hotel and kiosks.
All this happened as the government had turned a deaf ear to the miseries and needs of the common man. Not only in Jammu but elsewhere also no attention was provided to the stranded passengers and vehicle owners who were left stranded on the highway at different places since past 1 to 13 days.
People have been narrating harrowing tales about the callous attitude of the government as no arrangements were made at the public sheds that have been erected at some places to cater to the needs of the people incase such a situation arises.
The drivers who were stuck with no resources had to mortgage the documents of their vehicles to secure a loan from shopkeepers so that they could survive the cold wintry days and nights. This alarming situation should act as a wakeup call for the government.
KV Network
