J-K: Civilians stuck without food, water in relief camps amid Pak shelling along LoC

The four relief centres set up by the district administration in Naushera, J&K, for more than thousand people who were forced to flee their homes due to frequent shelling by Pakistan failed to provide much relief on Sunday.
When this correspondent visited the largest relief centre, which has been set up inside a school, people complained of the poor conditions and said they were not given food in the morning and were only offered breakfast after 2pm on Sunday.
Apart from villagers who were forced to leave behind their crop ready for harvest, many of those housed in these shelters are students who said their studies would suffer. "Our studies have been hit hard. Whenever we are in the school, mortar shelling starts," said Suman, a class 8 student.
Another student, Monika, said that she along with many others was forced to spend a day without water and food on Saturday.
Satpal, a resident of Jhangar village, one of the 15 villages along the border that were evacuated, said that firing had started at 7.30 in the morning and continued till late afternoon. "We were stuck in a bunker for all this time without any drinking water," he said.
Deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh took stock of the situation and assured people that situation would improve soon.
"Pakistan is firing at our civilians from last two to three days. Three people have been killed and those affected people have been shifted to the safer places. The government is taking all preventive measures. Affected people are being accommodated in safe buildings with food, water and power," Singh said.
He, however, added that people should not expect the same comfort that they get in their homes. "I have visited the place and the administration has assured me that the inmates will be provided with all amenities," Singh said.
But his words failed to assure those stuck in these centres. Shivani Surya, a resident of Jhangar village, said they are forced to leave their homes every time they settle down. She said that the relief centre did not have water or adequate washrooms.
Locals also slammed the district administration for not assessing the ceasefire violation threat and reacting late. "We knew that heavy firing will take place on May 13. The Rajouri SDM was expected to reach our village but he failed. Had he visited, people may have been evacuated earlier," said Subhash, a resident.
Some residents even compared the damage to buildings to that of Syrian city Aleppo. "We used to see photos of Aleppo. We were gripped by the same fear for our lives when Pakistan started shelling. A few mortar shells also dropped near our bunker," Inderjeet Mahi , a local resident said

Share