Published On:Wednesday, 15 October 2014
Jamaat, Jamiat in forefront of relief work
From Rescue to Relief
Srinagar: While the state government has been a perceived failure to rehabilitate or extend helping hand to the flood affected people, the valley’s two largest religious cum political organisations, Jamaat Islamia and Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadith took the lead and ran a “parallel government” to help the distressed people.
According to the locals, the first relief truck that reached Rajbagh, the worst hit area, was from the Jamaat Islamia.
According to the locals, the first relief truck that reached Rajbagh, the worst hit area, was from the Jamaat Islamia.
From rescue to the relief operations, Jamaat and Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadith did “what they could” and ran a massive campaign to provide relief to the people, who were largely forgotten by the ruling government. These two religious groups came forward at the time when the whole state machinery was caught napping.
From cleaning the streets of Srinagar and setting up hundreds of medical camps, these two religious groups engaged thousands of its volunteers to help the affected people in this hour of need.
“Jamaat engaged large number of volunteers and its members to reach out to the maximum people. Unlike other parties, we never cry for the publicity. We are the largest religious party of the state and have our strong cadres everywhere. We tried our best to help the affected people. We are also mulling to identify the worst hit people and help them in a good possible way,” said Jamaat leader Advocate Zahid Ali.
However, there are still reports coming that a large number of people are still awaiting any-kind of relief. “My house has got collapsed in the floods. I along with my three daughters have taken shelter in a marriage hall at Sanat Nagar. No one came to me. Where is the government? We are in the hell. Government has failed to help us,” a woman from Chanapora said while narrating her story to Kashmir Monitor.
The volunteers, who are helping the affected lot, have come from various parts of the valley. “I am helping people only to get its reward hereafter,” says Jamaat Volunteer.
Another religious Party, Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadith also launched a massive rescue-cum-relief campaign to help the people.
“We divided our campaign in three parts. First it was the rescue part then the relief and now it is the much big task of rehabilitating the affected people,” says Jamiat Vice President Mushtaq Ahmad Veeri.
Veeri said that they have so far covered some 4000 families from South Kashmir to Srinagar among which they distributed essentials including bedding and other items for safe shelter.
These religious groups are a way ahead to the government when it comes to identify the most affected people who need immediate rehabilitation.
The Jamiat and Jamaat have used their local units at the village and Mohalla level to identify the affected.
“We have already helped them through our local Baitulmaals (Charity money). We are holding the central body meeting soon to carve out a strategy how to rehabilitate the people who have lost everything,” Veeri said.
The official sources in Jamaat Islami said the posh localities of Rajbagh and Jawahar Nagar, which got most hit, were the main priority for Jamaat.
“We got hundred volunteers from across Kashmir who are camping in Srinagar to give their services to clear debris and then clean Rajbagh and Jawahar Nagar localities,” said Jamaat spokesperson Ahmad Peerzada.
He said Jamaat’s motive is to make flood hit city areas ‘liveable’ in a short possible time. The organisation has also put into service various JCBs and trucks to clean the rot and debris, but this is not the end a lot more needs to be done to help the people who have no roof to take shelter.
