Srinagar: The ill-fated boat, ferrying 19 passengers from Gandabal to Batwara in Srinagar, met its tragic fate last week when it collided with an iron pole in the middle of the Jhelum River. Among the passengers were children from Kendriya Vidyalaya in Sonwar, adding to the poignancy of the incident.
With unwavering determination, rescue teams comprising the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and Marcos have scoured the turbid waters of the Jhelum River, extending their search from Gandbal to Raj Bagh, spanning a distance of 4-5 km downstream. Employing divers to explore underwater, they tirelessly comb for any sign of the missing persons.
Despite tireless efforts persisting through the night and into the morning, the search teams have yet to unearth any trace of the missing individuals.
Among those unaccounted for are Farhan Waseem Parray, 7, Showkat Ahmad Sheikh, 40, and his son Haziq Showkat, 9. Their families, joined by a throng of anxious onlookers, anxiously await news along the riverbanks.
The modest home of boatman Gulzar Ahmad Dar consists of a few rooms. Gulzar, who was buried a few blocks away from his house at a graveyard, received a stream of visitors on the sixth day after the boat capsized at Gandbal, claiming six lives and leaving three others missing.
Gulzar’s body was swiftly recovered from the Jhelum River, which separates his home in Gandbal from Batwara, where he used to ferry people in a boat pulled by ropes. The boat has since been swept away to Rajbagh, leaving his family devastated and without their sole breadwinner.
A dirt track leads to Gulzar’s house, where his crestfallen 35-year-old wife, Jana Begum, mourns in a dimly lit room. Gulzar is survived by four children—three girls and a boy. “I don’t know how to survive now. My world is finished,” she lamented.
In the same neighborhood, a cleric with a flowing beard offered solace to Fayaz Ahmad Malik, a mason, urging him not to lose hope. He reminded him, “There is not a leaf that moves without the will of Allah.”
Fayaz, now left with only one son after losing his wife and two other children in the incident, expressed his despair. His wife was accompanying their two sons, Tanveer Fayaz and Firdous Fayaz, both around 11 years old, on the boat to school when tragedy struck.
The boat served as the primary means of transport for over 400 families in the area, as an incomplete footbridge has plagued the region for over six years. Stone steps lead to the river from both the Batwara and Gandbal sides, with the boat facilitating travel for work, school, and essential errands. The area also lacks hospital facilities, remaining an isolated pocket in the city.
Shabir Ahmad Bhat, in his mid-thirties, was among the passengers traveling for masonry work at nearby Sonwar. Now, an epitaph marks his grave with his demise noted as April 16. His father, Bashir Ahmad Bhat, mourns at the wet soil, questioning how his son’s family will survive. Shabir was their sole breadwinner, leaving behind two children—a son and a daughter.
The graves of Fayaz’s wife and two children are covered with tarpaulin, while two small coffins rest nearby in the graveyard, serving as stark reminders of the tragedy that befell this overlooked community. Despite heavy rains, search operations persist on the fourth consecutive day to retrieve the bodies of the three missing persons.
In the aftermath of the deadly boat capsizing incident in Srinagar, attention has been drawn to the numerous unfinished bridges scattered across Kashmir. This tragedy, resulting in loss of lives, reignites concerns about the safety of residents who rely on boats to navigate rivers.
A senior officer Roads and Building department (R&B) told Kashmir Horizon construction on over 15 crucial bridges and around 07 footbridges in the Kashmir valley remains incomplete, despite commencing more than a decade ago. While over 50 percent of the work on most of these bridges has been completed, efforts are underway to finish all the bridges in the current financial year.
“The work on the bridges stalled due to various factors including funding shortages, contractor issues, and land acquisition problems,” the official explained.
The construction of many bridges was undertaken by the Jammu and Kashmir Projects Construction Corporation (JKPCC), which was later merged with the R&B department.
While some areas have alternative crossings, others are left with the risky option of using boats, as seen in the recent tragedy in Srinagar where six people died and three remain missing after a boat capsized on the Jhelum River in Batwara.
Local residents allege that the footbridge connecting Gundbal with the rest of the city has remained unfinished for over seven years.
Mohammad Aabas, a resident of south Kashmir’s Pulwama, highlighted the incomplete bridge in Dogripora, started in 2006 by the R&B department but still unfinished after 17 years.
“The government has completely failed to construct the bridge that connects Dogripora with the rest of the district of south Kashmir,” Aabas lamented.
Residents emphasized the need for timely completion of such projects, especially in today’s digital age, where reliance on boats for river crossings seems archaic.
In North Kashmir’s Sumbal area, a bridge in the main market remains unfinished, initiated in 2014 by National Conference leader Mohammad Akbar Lone. The bridge was intended to connect various areas like Nesbal, Naninar, and Safapora with Sumbal.
“The incomplete bridge poses significant challenges for school-going children and the business community,” stated Nazir Ahmad, president of the Traders Federation Sumbal.
Similar grievances were voiced across different regions of Kashmir, including Kupwara, Ganderbal, and Srinagar, where various bridge projects have languished for years, exacerbating local hardships.
Sajad Naqeeb, Chief Engineer R&B Central Kashmir, assured that the government has initiated efforts to complete these unfinished bridges within the current financial year, acknowledging the need to address the long-standing infrastructure gaps.
However, the prolonged delays in bridge construction have left residents disheartened and anxious about future incidents, underscoring the pressing need for expedited infrastructure development in the region.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir, V K Birdi, visited Gandbal said to oversee the ongoing rescue operations aimed at locating three missing individuals who tragically drowned during a boat capsize in the river Jhelum on Tuesday.
Despite exhaustive efforts by the rescue teams there has been no success in locating the missing individuals thus far. The incident occurred when a boat carrying several passengers capsized in the turbulent waters of the river Jhelum, sparking a frantic search and rescue operation.
