Living through firing and bombs | Kulgam locals call for relocation as anti-terror operation enter day 7

Srinagar: Amidst the ongoing anti-terror operation in Kulgam, which entered its seventh day on Thursday, locals from the Akhal village have called for their relocation from the area, citing severe hardships.

The residents claimed they were unable to sleep due to the relentless firing and were now running out of food as well.

"We have been facing severe difficulties for the past seven days. Firing and bombs go on during the night. There is a shortage of ration in our homes now," Mubarak Khanday, a villager living close to the encounter site, said.

Emphasising that the women and children in the area are terrified, Khanday claimed that they have developed 'psychological problems' due to the continuous firing and explosions, he added.

Appealing to the government to make arrangements for their relocation, Khanday said, "We have not slept for seven days. Children are awake, and they cry. There is a shortage of medicine and rations." He further noted that the nomadic population living in the area have also run out of food grains. "The Gujjar people called us...they have no ration," Khanday said.

However, locals were grateful to village officials like the numberdar and the chowkidar for taking care of the village. "The numberdar was giving ration to people from his home, but now he too is facing a shortage," Khanday mentioned. Sheikh Mehboob, a village official, urged the government to address the ration shortage and provide drinking water in the village.

"We are facing a shortage of water and medicines. We request that the Public Health Engineering (PHE) department arrange water for us. While the security forces are doing their job, the ongoing firing is causing problems for the elderly and children," Mehboob said.

He thanked the deputy commissioner and the SSP for making arrangements for an ambulance for the locals.

Sheeraza Akhtar, another local, appealed to the Kulgam deputy commissioner to extend help to the villagers.

"We appeal to the deputy commissioner. We are poor and are facing shortages. Please help us as we are facing so many problems. Many people have left and some houses are empty. Please relocate us from here," Akhtar said.

The counter-terror operations were launched in the forests of the Akhal area on August 1 following a tip-off about the presence of terrorists in the area.

So far, two terrorists have been killed while several security forces personnel have sustained injuries. Security forces are using technical surveillance gadgets, including drones and helicopters, to track down the terrorists hiding in the forest.

This is the longest anti-terror operation in the Kashmir valley, so far, this year.