Peerzada Sayeed

Srinagar, Oct 08 (KNS): Today marks the 15th anniversary of the catastrophic earthquake of October 8, 2005, but the memories of this earthquake are still fresh in the minds of the people. Fifteen years ago today, on the morning of October 8, 2005, a devastating 7.6 magnitude earthquake shook the divided state of Jammu and Kashmir, killing 100,000 people and injuring thousands, as well as many settlements and homes. People are still shocked to remember this earthquake. Affected people say, "It was not an earthquake but a doomsday that came and passed. People were in a state of shock. How can you believe it?" Never seen or heard of, never does it happen that villages and settlements of villages are reduced to dust? Landslides had destroyed roads, people had to travel miles and miles to reach their hometowns to see someone alive. Says Saleema Begum of Karnah, "When the earthquake hit my home. Was in the field near, I felt the Hour has come, the earth was slipping under my feet, there was dust all around, when the earth stopped moving, I also began to look around, but there was nothing but destruction At the same time, I started worrying about the children. When I reached home, I saw that the whole house was in the footsteps, but fortunately my family was spared. A few minutes later, I received this bad news. I have become a morsel of death. There was an atmosphere of chaos. No one was talking to anyone. They were shouldering their loved ones to take them to the grave. ”With tears in her eyes, Saleema said, Destroyed us. devastation wreaked havoc in Ori, Karnah and several other areas across the country, forcing the governments of India and Pakistan to distribute crores of rupees in aid for rehabilitation work in the affected areas, while many local, regional And international volunteer organizations, as well as religious and social organizations, provided practical evidence of humanity in providing relief to the victims. A few months later, rehabilitation work began on a war footing in all the affected areas across the country and the affected families were provided with immediate cash assistance and free construction materials free of cost to rebuild their houses. Impressions of this devastation can still be seen in the quake-affected areas across the border. The epicenter was reported below the Kashmir Valley, however; no tsunami alert was issued. The epicenter was reported below the ground, however; no tsunami alert was issued. 90% of school buildings and houses had collapsed. Every hundred was a world of chaos, people spent 2 nights under the open sky. In the meantime, although the then government took immediate steps to provide Rs 5,000 as assistance to the people for building sheds before winter, the people built the sheds and the people stayed in the sheds for about two years. The quake was so severe that people were grieving the loss of their loved ones and seeking help from the authorities to cover their heads, although the area was rebuilt and developed in a new way, but those who lost millions fell to the ground. He had built bungalows by spending Rs. 130,000 from the government alone, but that money was only used to remove the rubble of houses, however, people still completed the construction of houses. The education system was also in disarray after the quake, after which the construction of more than 100 schools was undertaken under the SSA scheme and the construction was completed. Construction work was undertaken at that time. Twelve of these schools are still thirsty and the R&B department has failed to complete the construction. Apart from Abbott, Middle School Marchalan, Boys Middle School Dhani, Middle School Nachhian, Middle School Jabri and Primary School Amrohi, several other buildings are also in the border town of Ori where more than 1300 people were killed and 6266 injured Under the Earthquake Development Fund Scheme, construction and development work was started there but 11 schools could not be completed in 15 years. Among these schools, Boys Middle School Ori, Boys Primary School Ori Bala, Boys Primary School Banjran, Boys Primary School Bandi Garkot, Boys Primary School Sheikh Mohalla Nambala, Boys Primer Y School Ghaziabad, Girls Primary School Dauran, Boys Primary School Upper Dara, Girls Primary Namla (A) Boys Primary School Silicot, Boys Middle School Mothal. The R&B department is only crying for funds and for these schools. The situation is that they have either not been able to build beyond the bed level or they have been completed up to the plant level and the construction of their roofs, windows and doors has been left unfinished.(KNS)