Page 41 - 30NOV2019E

AGRICULTURE

Unseasonal snowfall wreaks tinued till the evening. As the people the overnight catastrophe caused by said it was also impossible to have a
Another source from the valley
woke up today, what the snow had
the unseasonal snowfall in the valley.
The media has not covered it yet, and
left a trail of destruction, wherever
real assessment of the extent of dam-
havoc to Kashmir apple orchards they looked. the reason could be there is no flow of age caused to the apple orchards. The
information from the valley, and people reason he said was the horticulture
“Income from the apples was our
only source of income when all the
The stubbornness of the government
their homes due to the heavy snow, and
business has shut down. I couldn’t be- too are without any communication. employees were themselves stuck in
Districts in South Kashmir report unprecedented damage to their apple crops due to lieve my eyes as I woke up this morning, has only exacerbated the problems as assessing damage to their own crops.
The administration almost gets non-
it continues the communication lock-
around one and a half feet snow had
the snow as high as three feet, reports younis dar buried the majority of trees in orchard. I down in the valley. The electricity had functional during such calamities.
also gone as the last reports came, with
ashmir is grappling with people across the valley grappling with jaz also said that the government
yet another catastrophe winter cold, which has already set in fails to adequately compensate
with apple crop worth with the untimely snowfall. The flight A the apple growers in the event
hundreds of crores dam- operations to the Srinagar city are also of calamities. “No proper assessment
K aged in the unseasonal down, and the only highway connect- of damage is done, and the compensa-
snowfall on November 7. The reports tion is carelessly distributed, as some-
from South Kashmir districts of Shop- times people with no apple crop have
ian, Pulwama, Anantnag, among oth- “No proper assessment also been seen to get the compensation
ers, reported unprecedented damage amount. We will suffer very hard this
due to the snowfall which measured as of damage is done, and time, as no source of income remains
severe as three feet high. the compensation is with us. We don’t expect anything from
The ongoing shutdown over the the government either,” he said.
abrogation of Article 370 has already carelessly distributed, The pruning of the apple trees was
caused a loss of over 10,000 crore to as sometimes people also yet to be initiated, the foliage was
the businesses in Kashmir. Adding to still on the trees. In such circumstances,
that, the perpetual mobile and internet with no apple crop it’s not hard to imagine what a three
shutdown in the valley have left the have also been seen to feet snow will do to the trees. South
people in darkness and severed com- Kashmir receives the heaviest snowfall
munication with the outside world. get the compensation in the valley, and yesterday, Shopian
The double whammy of shutdowns amount. We will suffer received around three feet of snow,
and now the nature’s fury has caused with Pulwama receiving one a half
deep disappointment in Kashmir, with very hard as no source foot. The two towns, therefore, suffered
authorities providing little help in the of income remains with the highest damage to their crop. In
situation. district Srinagar, the snowfall is con-
The month of Novemberis the time us. We don’t expect siderably lesser and the number of
when the apples are still to be plucked apple orchards in the district is not
from trees and the leaves are yet to fall, anything from the that significant.
such heavy snowfall during this time, government either” It’s time the government pays heed
therefore, can cause irreparable dam- to the suffering of the people in Kash-
age. With foliage still on the trees, the mir and at least restores the internet
snow breaks the branches and even ing Kashmir to the rest of India has in the valley. The people should be at
fells the trees, sometimes uprooting reportedly been shut, probably for a least allowed to share their ordeal with
them completely. very long time. their loved ones in these times. The lack
Tehelka spoke to orchard owners With almost 90 per cent business of communication is bound to attract
in Kashmir over the phone, who ex- per cent of apple trees have been com- valley, the destruction of apple or - have never witnessed such destruction shut in the valley, horticulture is the more aid as the outside world remains
pressed shock and apathy at the over- pletely damaged. The apples were still chards is yet to be reported anywhere before,” said Ajaz Dar, owner of three biggest industry and the source of in- oblivious to the extent of damage in the
night destruction of their orchards, on trees, besides the foliage, the trees at outside the valley. The extent of dam- apple orchards, based in Pulwama, come for a majority of people, especially Kashmir. Only when there’s outrage
being their only source of income. this time of the year cannot bear such age is yet to be reported anywhere, as South Kashmir. “Our apples crop had in rural Kashmir. Nearly 22 lakh metric will there be help from the government
NaseerWani, an apple farmer from snowfall, the branches break at the the internet and pre-paid phones are been plucked, but the damage caused tonne of apples are exported every year and other non-government organisa-
Shopian, South Kashmir said the snow- slightest of the pressure. We have lost still down, so the people cannot share may take another 6-7 years to compen- from the valley. The traders and truck tions. Also, all the mainstream leaders
fall at this time of the year is the last everything overnight,” Naseer said. anything on the social media. Tehe- sate. The branches will have to grow owners had also witnessed a spate of in the valley are still incarcerated, and
thing apple growers want as it has the Naseer says every apple orchard lka spoke to multiple apple orchard again, but the trees which have been deadly attacks by the militants who will, therefore, be unable to raise any
potential to cause irreparable dam- owner he knows reported at least 80 owners across the different districts uprooted are gone forever,” he said, don’t want normal business to resume voice during this situation.
age to the trees. “It was around 3 feet per cent damage. in the valley. It started snowing on over the phone to Tehelka. in the valley. In such circumstances, it’s
of snow in our area, and around 80 With little media coverage in the the morning of November 7, and con- The outside world has no news of a monumental task to survive. letters@tehelka.com

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