Darul Khair, a relief and rehabilitation organisation, is constructing around 100 houses for flood victims in Srinagar
The only Kashmiri Pandit family left in the Mandir Bagh locality of Srinagar has been homeless for the last three months after floods in September ruined the congested neighbourhood.
The floods left a trail of destruction and Moti Lal lost everything he had built in his life including his two-storey house. Since then its been a struggle for his five-member family as the government has failed to rehabilitate them and other flood victims. Meanwhile, politicians are busy with elections.
However, there is hope for Moti Lal. The chief preacher of Jamia Masjid Srinagar and top separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has launched a rehabilitation plan for flood victims at Madir Bagh and Moti Lal will be its first beneficiary.
Wearing construction safety gear, Mirwaiz laid the foundation stone for the construction of Moti Lal's home as hundreds of skilled and unskilled youth joined the initiative.
"I want to send a message through this initiative. Today you have more than 50,000 houses which have been damaged in Srinagar city alone and its a huge challenge. Rather than focusing on this issue, politics is being played over people's sufferings", said Mirwaiz.
Unlike few other Kashmiri separatist leaders, Mirwaiz has not issued any election boycott call. He says elections is a non-issue for the Hurriyat and his priority is flood victims.
As part of the initiative, Darul Khair, the relief and rehabilitation organisation headed by Mirwaiz is constructing around 100 houses for flood victims. Their target is to build Moti Lal's home in less than a month.
"We will complete the construction of this house in 25 to 30 days. It will come up at a cost of Rs 6 or 7 lakhs," says Akeel Kirmani, a structural engineer.
The family cannot believe that it will be getting back a roof over its head. "I have no words to express my gratitude to Mirwaiz. This is the crucial time for us. We have become like street beggars," said Moti Lal, a retired teacher.
He says the government's Rs 75000 compensation was not enough even to clear the debris. The state government says the full compensation of Rs 9 lakh will be given to the homeless only after the Central government sanctions a rehabilitation package of Rs 44,000 crore.