Gandbal Grieves | Boat mishap robs families of bright futures

Srinagar, Apr 16:  Hue and cry were witnessed in the Gandbal area of Batwara Srinagar as the lifeless bodies including those of children were received by their families following the capsizing of a boat in River Jhelum on Tuesday.

Scores of desperate families were waiting on the banks of Jhelum and hoping against hope as others buried their loved ones whose bodies were retrieved.

The tragedy was hit as a boat carrying 19 locals capsized.

Fayaz Ahmad Malik was numb and shell-shocked after he received the news of his twin sons and his wife being among the deceased.

“What shall I do now? My entire family has been wiped out?” were the only words Malik could utter in the face of this tragedy.

His nephew, Faizan, said that he had not come to his senses since he received the news.

“I lost my two cousins, Muzamil and Tanveer, who were just 11 years old. My uncle is inconsolable as he also lost his wife, Firdousa in the incident. Since the twins were too young and immensely loved by their mother, she would take the boat ride with them to ensure they were safe. As the schools would close, she would again cross the Jhelum to get them back on the boat,” Faizan said.

The locals said that for years, the proposed footbridge had lingered, and over 100 families, including school-going children, had to take boat rides to cross Jhelum and reach schools and workplaces.

As men and women were wailing on the banks of Jhelum while rescue teams were trying to retrieve bodies, Taja, an elderly visually impaired woman, was looking for her only son and grandson, who were also onboard the tragic boat.

She was asking officials and media persons present to confirm from the hospital if her only son and grandson were among those rescued.

“We have no male members left in the family now. My son Showkat was born after I gave birth to five daughters. Today, he was accompanying his only son to school on this boat. I lost my husband a long time ago, and my son and grandson were everything to me,” Taja said.

Witnesses said that Showkat Ahmad could have saved himself, but he jumped back to save his son, a 5th-grade student.

Masarat, another woman had a miraculous escape as she was among those rescued.

However, her 7-year-old son Farhan Waseem is still missing.

“He is a 1st grade student. Where will I find him now? As we were on the boat, it was trembling fast, and I told the boatman that things didn't seem right. In no time, the boat hit the under-construction bridge pillars and broke. I don’t know what happened later, as all of us were in the water. I was rescued by locals, and my son is still missing,” Masarat said.

The families of the deceased said that the callous approach of the government to complete the bridge led to this tragedy.

They said for years, they had seen work starting and stalling.

“Even if the bridge is completed now, can anyone bring our children and other family members back? It is a shame that on the same Jhelum banks, authorities are spending millions to create selfie points while our kids are losing their lives for the lack of basic facilities like bridges,” a group of agitated locals said.