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| Suffering stranded Kashmiris; a test of Jammuites’ hospitality, generosity | | | Early Times Special Correspondent
Jammu | Feb 7
News Analysis
The hardships being undergone by a large number of Kashmiris stranded at Jammu due to blockade of Jammu-Srinagar national highway consecutively for last five days and even air services suspended due to fog and poor visibility. In the wake of heavy rains and snow leading to landslides and threat of avalanches, the buses carrying passengers and goods carriers could not move to Srinagar, with a very large number of vehicles stranded in the way, under bitter cold conditions. This poses a challenge and a test of the traditional hospitality and generosity shown by the people of Jammu to all their brethren in distress.
The generous and hospitable people of Jammu, particularly the trading community, have always come out to help and provide some succor to the sufferers in the wake of any natural calamity as well as the up rooting from their homes and hearths of a large number of people in the border areas due to firing from across the border. They have also shown great compassion and hospitality to the migrants from Kashmir as well as remote hilly areas in Jammu, who were hounded out of their homes by the Islamic fundamentalist terrorists. The philanthropist Jammuites have been also setting up langars to serve free food to the pilgrims from various parts of the country coming from Amarnath Yatra and even for Vaishno Devi. They have been also making liberal donations for food served in Muslim shrines to the devotees. The Sikhs in particular are putting up community langars in Gurudwaras on certain occasions. Similarly on various religious festivals Hindu and Sikh traders, joined by some Muslims as well set up langars to serve free food to the poor.
All this is in keeping with their faith that service to God's creature is the best service to God. Following this noble saying of wise men Jammu people should rise to the occasion to come forward to help stranded Kashmiri passengers, some of whom are really poor and have run out of money, remaining stranded here for last 6 days and are undergoing hardships in the bitter cold, forced to spend chilly nights amidst rains in the bus stand or other community lodgings. Some of these stranded passengers do not have adequate warm clothing and beddings. Let the benevolent Jammuites come to their help.
It is heartening to learn that some small and petty traders in the general bus stand Jammu have set a good example for others to follow. The General Bus Stand Shopkeepers Association has announced 20% discount to the stranded passengers lodged in the bus stand, in respect of cooked meals served by Dhabas, tea and eatables served by tea stalls and other vendors. Refuting the reports in a section of the press that some shopkeepers are fleecing the stranded Kashmiri passengers, Ashwani Sharma President Shopkeepers Association General Bus Stand Jammu has said that in their meeting with the Director Food and Supply, Jammu yesterday they have offered to reduce the rates of food served to the passengers by 20%. He appealed to all the member shopkeepers to display full solidarity with the suffering stranded Kashmiri passengers. He has further said that some shopkeepers are even giving credit to some known passengers.
Similarly the President All Jammu Hotels and Lodges Association Inderjeet Khajuria has refuted the reports appearing in a section of the press that hoteliers and lodge owners in Jammu city have been exploiting the stranded Kashmiris by increasing the rates of rooms let to them. He added that on the contrary in an emergency meeting their association has decided to let the rooms in their establishments on concessional rates to the stranded Kashmiris. If any hotelier tries to fleece the helpless Kashmiris at this hour of their hardship, the matter should be brought to the notice of the association and they will announce his general boycott and recommend to the concerned authorities to cancel his registration and black list such a hotelier. He, however, appealed to the media to not sensationalize by unnecessarily blaming the hoteliers.
While all this is welcomed, let social and political organization of Jammu as well as NGOs come forward any display their magnanimity and generosity towards the suffering Kashmiris in Jammu. Of course Jammuites have the complaint and grievance against the Kashmiri politicians for denying them their due and discriminating against them for last 60 years, but they have nothing against the common Kashmiris, who are themselves victims of exploitation at the hands of politicians. |
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