Zaffar Iqbal
BARAMULLA, Jan 11: After surviving the tragic landslide incident at Uttarakhand on December 21 last year, a 45-year-old labourer Altaf Ahmad is bed ridden since the day that tragedy left him handicapped.
However, his pain has increased manifold as the government of Jammu and Kashmir and Uttrakhand have sofar failed to provide any financial assistance to the injured labourer.
Hailing from Mothal village on Line of Control, Altaf got severely injured in the landslide incident and he was taken to Hospital in Uttarakhand where he remained under treatment for about 12-days. He was brought home by the company officials with whom he would work in Uttarakhand.
Altaf is the sole breadwinner of his family and is unable to meet the ends of life. “I was working in Uttarakhand as a labourer. When the landslide occurred I got severely injured which left my one arm and one leg broken. I was brought home by the company people by road after remaining in hospital there for about 12 days. Since then I am bed ridden at my home,” Altaf told Kashmir Despatch.
He further informed that he is survived by eleven children including eight daughters and three sons and he is only source of livelihood for his family.
“Now when I am completely bed ridden and I have a big family to shoulder. Till now, the government has failed to provide me any financial assistance,” he added. The family and the locals have appealed the governor administration to come to the help of this family and take necessary steps for his upliftment and treatment.
The family is living in penury and there is no other source of income for Altaf to run the daily affairs of his large family. “Since I am not in a position to go for work and in absence of any other alternative source of income, my family members will die from starvation,” he observed.
Pertinently in December last year a tragic landslide left eight labourers from Uri north Kashmir dead and two were injured. Although the government had announced exgratia for the deceased labourers but no financial assistance has been provided to the injured labourers sofar.
When contacted SDM Uri Baseer-ul-Haq told Kashmir Despatch: “We disbursed ex gratia relief among the families who had lost their members in Uttrakhand Tragedy but we had no instruction for any kind of financial assistance to be provided to the injured labourers.”
He informed further that since there were no announcements made by either of two governments, the injured labourers may have not been approached by the administration. “Since you have brought this case in my notice, I will depute a revenue official to his home to get the details and will surely recommend his case for any financial aid.”
