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| Children made to sit on 'accident-prone' footpath | | Biggest exploitation of orphans in Largest Iftaar | | Abdul Majid
Early Times Report
Srinagar, July 11: Even as Kashmir today vouched to set a "new record of holding the longest public Iftar in Asia", most of the people ridiculed the programme as "biggest exploitation of orphans" hundreds of whom were made to sit in queues on "accident-prone" footpath along famed Dal lake here to break the fast amid speeding vehicles driving down just next to them.
In the absence of any big crowds, the children picked up from various orphanages in Srinagar were being made to form a long chain of dastarkhans (dinning cloth) on the narrow footpath of the congested road, which awaits widening for years and witnesses heavy traffic flow.
In the past few years of ever-growing number of vehicles, scores of people have been injured while at least three of them died in road accidents in the area. In two such cases, speeding vehicles had crashed right on to the pavement moving down pedestrians on the Boulevard.
But seemingly throwing safety norms to wind, the event was given a go ahead by the administration particularly the Traffic Police Srinagar. This event sponsored by Tourism Department, was organized by Loud Beetle, an event management company. The Tourism department eyes to cash the event for "tourism promotion."
While the children on the pavement were offered a variety including dates, juices and fruits, all free of charge, the delicacies remained in bad taste as the tiny tots were vulnerable of getting knocked down by vehicles driving down the picturesque road in the heels of Zaberwan Hills. For a man driving down to his Nishat home, he couldn't hold his cool but applied brakes on his sedan. "Would you ever make your own children sit on the pavement of a risky road to eat food. What if they get knocked down by some speeding vehicle or slip into the adjacent lake… This is shame for you people that you even don't stay behind from exploiting these innocent faces," the driver shouted at a Tourism official and left the spot.
A senior member of Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries said "it could have been good event provided it was held at some safe venue" adding that "exploiting poor children for publicity proved cheapness." "It could have been a good event held at some park but by exploiting the poor children who have lost their parents, it became a cheap roadside publicity," he added. But the Tourism department and other hosts are unmoved. Having formally invited scores of children from 20 orphanages, the hosts have approached the Limca Book of Records for the event.
Businessman and a civil society activist Syed Shakeel Qalandar is up in arms. "For a flood hit region where business awaits revival for want of economic package, selling Iftaar party for tourism promotion that too through exploitation of innocent children is all the way illogical," Qalander said.
The event management people feigned ignorance if the venue was unsafe for children. They passed the buck onto Tourism department.
Official sources in the Tourism department said a Minister from the state cabinet had asked Director Tourism Farooq Ahmed Shah "to be part of the event and make it a success." "Our role has mostly been like that of pressure group to make business houses and others come out with logistic support to make the event a success," said a Tourism official pleading anonymity.
Despite repeated attempts the Senior Superintendent of Police Traffic Maqsood ul Zaman didn't respond to phone calls. But a lower rung official confirmed that the Dal banks have been accident prone.
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