Troops disrupt essential supplies

Srinagar, Sep 15: With no let up in curfew for the fourth running day Wednesday, the crisis for the Srinagarites has been compounded by the behaviour of the paramilitary CRPF troopers who allegedly don’t allow any supplies to reach the consumers.
While some areas are facing acute shortage of water, the Shahr-e-Khaas residents said their power supply was being frequently snapped adding that no essentials of daily need were being allowed to reach the consumers.
Water supply hit
Areas like Batamaloo, Natipora, Naik Bagh and even some hospitals have been facing shortage of water.
While the Public Health Engineering department calls them “new installations”, the PHE says it had been supplementing the supplies to the affected areas through water tankers.
But since Sunday when curfew was clamped the tankers were not only prevented from reaching the destinations but some of the drivers were thrashed allegedly by the police and paramilitary CRPF.
‘We have no water to drink and PHE people say they are unable to send water tankers to us,” complained residents of Firdousabad Batamaloo.
Sources said following a resistance from the tanker drivers that they wouldn’t put their “life to risk again and again”, the Executive Engineer PHE, Rafiq Ahmed Malik on Tuesday called on the district administration asking them to “come clear on if or not the PHE was to be allowed to work under essential services during the ongoing curfew”.
 Referring to the thrashing of his staff in areas Jehangir Chowk, Malik is learnt to have said that “life of his staff was at risk while trying to perform essential public service.”
A senior official at the Chief Enigneer’s office Wednesday said the matter was been resolved with the police and other authorities adding that water supplies have been restored.
“Today we pressed into service 15 tankers for water supplies to the affected areas,” the official told Greater Kashmir adding that it would suffice the public need.
Power woes
The residents of Shahr-e-Khaas accused the police of deliberately snapping the power supply to the areas so that “people get frustrated.”
Residents of areas like Eidgah, Narawara and Zadibal said the power supply was being frequently cut throughout the day.
“Given the prevalent situation, we poor people wanted to spare the LPG stock as much as possible by cookng food in electric heaters. But the police is deliberately snapping the power supplies so that our food remains uncooked,” said the residents of Eidgah.
“Cops are well versed with the art of switching off the power at the colony transformers and they are making the best use of this skill to frustrate us,” the residents said.
Vegetables smashed
The residents of Nawa Kadal said that in the early morning hours police allowed some vegetable vendors carrying on lot in baskets to come out on streets and proceed.
“But the moment the vegetable vendors reached the main road, their baskets were beath ruthlessly and baskets snatched only to scatter the vegetables on the main road,” a resident told Greater Kashmir adding he watched the scene from his window.
 “Once the vegetables got scattered, some of the cops crushed them under their jackboots and shouted out at people asking them to come out and take the spoiled lot for cooking,” he added.
Milk spilled
Similar, the residents of Nawab Bazar said was done with the milkmen who were allowed to come out on streets with milk.
“The moment they walked a few yards, their milk cans were snatched and spilled on the road,” they residents said.
Residents of Chattabal said baker locally known as Kandur was allowed to start making morning bread, Naan in his Tandoor.
“But the moment he started making bread, a few troops barged into his shop and put a bag full of dirty polythene in the Tandoor,” the complainants alleged adding they got no bread since Sunday.
Propoganda
A senior police official  said that the complaints were baseless adding that people want to defame police “for the sake of it.”
“The miscreants want to get a chance for stone pelting and such excuses they make to only to defame us and make their mischief appear genuine,” he added.
 He said the police was performing its duty to main law and order.