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Srinagar, The flood has left behind a trail of destruction in city centre and Valley’s business hub Lal Chowk, where all shops are filled with mud and sewage and goods and items in the business establishments have turned into mound of debris.
Lal Chowk was under 14 fts of water when the floods ravaged Srinagar on September 7. All shops in the city centre were under water and area continued to remain under water for nearly two weeks.
Now the flood water has been drained although its entrances from Tourist Reception Centre (TRC), Dalgate, Amira Kadal and Budshah Chowk are still under about one or more feets of water.
Some of the shopkeepers reached the Lal Chowk only to see their property in shambles.
All shops at Regal Chowk, Residency Road, Lambert Lane, Abi Guzar and Maisuma are filled with mud and sewage and the goods in these establishments have turned into mound of debris.
The shopkeepers were cleaning their shops and retrieving goods that may have escaped the water fury.
“The flood has caused massive damage to our goods and items. Everything has been destroyed,” said Muneer Hussain Qureshi, owner of mobile showroom, “World Vision”.
He said he had goods worth crores of rupees in the shop and everything has been lost in the flood.
Muneer said nothing could be saved because flood in Lal Chowk housing showrooms of many branded companies was unexpected.
Raja Colour Lab at Residency Road dealing with expensive cameras and other electronic gadgets too has suffered losses worth crores of rupees.
“All digital cameras, photo printing machine, computers along with other expensive electronic gadgets have been damaged and rendered non functional,” said Haji Mohammad Yaqoob, owner of the shop.
He said he is assessing the damage and it may be over Rs 1 crores.
Ghulam Hassan Naqash, owner of handicraft shop, “Brilliant arts and crafts” at Residency Road said all the pashmina shawls, carpets and other accessories in the shop have been damaged.
“I am left with nothing,” he said.
The Lal Chowk, which used to be abuzz with people and shoppers, is stinking due to presence of large quantity of garbage and filth. The shopkeepers have also thrown their destroyed goods on the roads adding to the stink.
The shopkeepers are stressing on government to remove the garbage and filth from the roads otherwise there is threat of spread of epidemic.
The Polo view, Ghanta Ghar and Court Road markets in the Lal Chowk area are still under water. Some posh areas including Rajbagh, Jawahar Nagar, Shivpora, and Indira Nagar are still under water.
Kashmir Traders and Manufactures federation (KTMF) president Mohammad Yasin Khan said damage to business community in Lal Chowk is beyond comprehension.
“We have asked every shopkeeper to assess the damage and give a report to us so that we will come out with a proper damage assessment report,” he said.
