Politicians divert quake relief

Indian Kashmiri children peer out from a tent in Salamabad, some 115 km north-west of Srinagar yesterday. Rain and aftershocks continued to hamper relief operations for those left homeless by a massive 7.6 level earthquake that hit the region on October 8. PHOTO: AFP

"Our village has not received any government relief so far as we had voted for the opposition during the last elections," says Farooq Ahmed, a resident of Garkote village in northern Uri sector.

"We are being victimised for our political ideologies," he said, adding that whatever relief they received was from separatists and local charities.

A government official involved in the relief operation, who did not want to be named, acknowledged that at least one senior Kashmir state minister was interfering in relief distribution in the two worst-hit areas of Uri and Tangdar.

"There is interference and it is affecting our operations," he said. "We are being asked to take care of a particular area, which is not good."

The 7.6-magnitude earthquake, which hit October 8 destroyed or damaged more than 100,000 houses in Indian Kashmir and left more than 1,300 people dead.

The federal government pledged 150 million dollars in immediate relief and 2,300 dollars each for people to rebuild homes while charities have rushed supplies of food and medicine.

Many villagers have spent days in freezing temperatures without adequate shelter, clothing or food since the earthquake hit and heavy rains and snowfall at high elevations Sunday halted Indian airforce helicopter relief missions.

"No relief flights could take off today (Sunday) due to bad weather," an Indian army officer told AFP.

Kashmir's leading woman politician, Mehbooba Mufti, toured the quake zone Sunday and stressed the need for more than 35,000 tents to protect people from the rain and cold. She said the state has only managed to obtain 6,000 tents so far.

"It has been raining since last night and we have no tents to cover ourselves," said 55-year-old Jamal-u-Din from quake-hit Uri sector.

Villagers near the Line of Control which divides the state between India and Pakistan said soldiers and police, normally mistrusted, have been more equitable in relief distribution.