The cracks still show

Kamalkote, comprising a clutch of foothill villages, had borne the brunt of the October 8 quake and had lost as many as 400 of its people. Hundreds of concrete houses and cowsheds had been destroyed in the quake. A year later, the situation on ground is not dramatically different. But there are some pockets that have seen positive action. Dachi is one such village where Chennai-based NGO Child of India is building 312 cement block shelters, 148 of which are complete.

Similarly, Sultandaki, a village ahead of Dachi has been adopted by another Chennai-based organisation Life Help, which contributed about 114 wooden sheds. But the core of Kamalkote village has been left to fend for itself. Most of the village still lives in tin sheds, built from the tin recovered from their broken down houses.

While voluntary orgainsations have come to the help of big villages, the smaller ones have been left alone to fend for themselves. Nine households at Kolwan, a village on the bank of the river Jhelum, have been passed over by everybody. Villages like Basgiran, Sokidhan and Kund share its fate. 8220;The NGOs don8217;t come to us because they think no one will notice their work here,8221; says Nasreena, a resident of Kolwan.

The reward for crossing the 11,000-ft Sadna Pass is a glimpse of the beautiful Tanghdar valley. But last year8217;s earthquake gave this valley lingering scars.

This valley of 52,000 people bore the brunt of last year8217;s quake that measured 7.6 on the Richter scale and left 275 dead, thousands wounded and brought down 9,000 houses.

Sadna Pass onwards, the journey on the 36-km potholed road is exhausting. Says Mohammad Shafi, a social activist from Nachian village, who travels frequently on this road, 8220;This is a death trap. The quake brought VIPs here but no one has tried to improve the condition of this road that is our only link with the rest of the world.8221;

In Tanghdar town, most of the villagers have dismantled their damaged houses, but only a few have built new ones. Even a year after, 70 percent of the people here still live in tin shelters.

8220;It8217;s not easy to construct a house,8221; says Qazi Abdul Hamid, principal of the town8217;s only girls8217; school. 8220;We have to get every piece of construction material from Srinagar. A brick that costs Rs 3 in Srinagar sells here at Rs 8. Same is the case with sand, cement and iron,8221; he says. 8220;How is it possible to construct a house with Rs 40,000 that we got as the first relief installment from the government,8221; asks Qazi.

Soon after the quake, the JK government had announced a compensation of Rs 1.3 lakh for every damaged house. A year after, only Rs 40,000 has been distributed. 8220;The disbursement of relief money is so slow. Instead of construction many villagers spent the relief amount in buying essentials,8221; says Ghulam Hyder, a senior teacher in Kandi village. Since the money fell short, villagers in Kandi abandoned construction halfway.

Three miles from Kandi are the twin villages of Baderkot and Ibkot where 50 people were killed in last year8217;s quake. A year after, only 10 new constructions have come up. 8220;It8217;s strange that our assembly member who is our representative, didn8217;t bother to pay us a single visit,8221; says Javid Ahmad, who lost three of his family.

Near Pingla village you can spot the big red building of Tanghdar8217;s lone two-mega watt powerhouse. 8220;The quake had left the canal of the powerhouse damaged. And repair work is yet to be started,8221; says Abdul Majid, an employee at the powerhouse.

In between Pingla and Teetwal is Dringla village whose 25 displaced families are an agitated lot. 8220;When is government going to fulfill its promises?8221; asks Raja Ghulam Akbar, who along with his ten-member family lives in a temporary shelter on the roadside. 8220;We were moved out from our native Gundi Gujran village by the government. Here we live in these conditions but the officials have ignored us completely,8221; he says. 8220;Now who is going to rehabilitate us,8221; he asks.

A mile away, the river Neelam, that divides the Line of Control is visible from Teetwal, the last village on the Indian side. This village lost 22 people and all its houses in the October 8 quake. But the signs of recovery are visible.

Only a day after the quake, the Army adopted this village comprising 200 households. A year later, a link road leading to this village is easily the best in this belt. Teetwal now has a well-furnished community development centre, a library, a hospital, a state-of-the art gymnasium, a modern amphitheater and a big playground.

South of Teetwal is Chatkherian, a village that lies in no man8217;s land with a number of Army posts overlooking its 26 households. 8220;Only one house has been constructed in the village,8221; says village numberdar Abul Aziz.

While villagers complain about the slow pace of developmental work and relief disbursement, local administration as well as the Army maintain that efforts are on to rehabilitate every affected person. Says Tanghdar sub-divisional magistrate Abdul Hamid Wani, 8220;the rehabilitation process has already been completed. Now building infrastructure, school buildings and heathcare centres is our priority.8221;

The Army8217;s Tanghdar Brigade that played an important role in relief and rehabilitation promises more help to villagers before winter sets in. 8220;We are planning to expand our developmental projects to other villages,8221; says Brigadier Ravi Thodge, commander, Tanghdar Brigade.