Srinagar,April 18 (KNS):Member Parliament from South Kashmir Justice (Retd) Hasnain Masoodi Saturday expressed anguish at apathy and indifference shown by Jammu and Kashmir administration to the plight of laborers, traders and students stranded in several parts of Country.

According to Kashmir News Service (KNS), Masoodi expressed deep anguish over the indifferrent outlook of imcumbent administration of J&K towards those students, traders and laborers stuck in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and other parts of the Country. He said the suggestions to the stranded to stay where they are made unmindful of the fact that most of the laborers stuck in Hamirpur, Kangra, Bilaspur, Unna, Shimla, Solan and other places are not living in flats and apartments but in tents, forty to fifty people huddled together in each tent, without basic facilities like drinking water and proper sanitation.

Masoodi said due to lack of basic requirements, stranded people were compelled to live in tents in winter, though with  much discomfort, it is now becoming increasingly unbearable and even impossible for them to live in tents in soaring temperatures. The rented accommodation wherever in use in major cities, lacks minimum facilities like electric fans necessary to beat the scorching summer heat. The guidelines of social distancing in present living conditions are also largely compromised, risking precious lives. He also said that the stranded labourers are not provided sufficient ration and in some cases ration is not supplied at all, forcing them to purchase it at exorbitant rates and even face starvation.

Masoodi, while welcoming the return of students quarantined at Amritsar, has expressed dismay over lack of a clear-cut plan to evacuate stranded students from Chandigarh, Delhi, Kota, Jodhpur, Agra, Aligarh, Indore, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chenai and other places and the students stuck outside  the Country in Bangladesh and Kyrgyzstan. He said most of the stranded students are in the age group of 18-24 and that because of non-availability of basic amenities  and depressing uncertainty  the stranded students are immensely stressed and traumatised.

Masoodi asked the administration to devise an action plan for evacuation and return of labourers, tradesmen  and students stranded outside Jammu and Kashmir, at the earliest and demanded that the plan devised be executed under close supervision of a senior officer in the Government. He futher asked the administration to take a clue from mechanism employed by Gujarat and UP governments making use of hundreds of buses and coaches to evacuate the pilgrims and students notwithstanding lockdown, from Uttarakhand and Rajasthan. He also demanded immediate appointment of nodal officers at Shimla, Chandigarh, Amritsar and Delhi, easily accessible to the stranded people, to organise relief and take steps to address their problems as the control rooms, helplines in place because of workload or otherwise have been mostly irresponsive to the ever increasing distress calls.

Masoodi demanded that travel between Jammu and Srinagar be made hassle free and procedure for issuance of travel passes be made easier. (KNS)