05/09/2025
Zonipora-Budgam’s paddy fields ravaged by deluge, residents parched: Zaffer Mir
Demands immediate rescue amid waterlogging and power cuts.
Srinagar, Sept 5: J&K People’s Democratic Party senior leader Zaffer Mir (Lasjan) has voiced grave concern over the worsening humanitarian and agrarian crisis in Zonipora, Budgam, where residents are grappling with parched taps, snapped electricity and crippling waterlogging.
In a statement issued here, Zaffer highlighted that the recent breach of river Jhelum has inundated vast stretches of fertile paddy land on the outskirts of Srinagar, devastating standing crops and leaving hundreds of families on the brink of ruin.
“On one hand, people are struggling for a drop of drinking water and a flicker of electricity and on the other, their fields lie submerged and destroyed,” he said. “Zonipora today mirrors the anguish of Kashmir’s countryside, abandoned in its hour of need.”
Expressing dismay over the administration’s inaction, Zaffer appealed for immediate intervention.
“Authorities are yet to reach the affected hamlets for relief and rescue. It is my earnest hope that Deputy Commissioner Budgam, Dr. Bilal Bhat, personally intervenes to provide urgent aid to the suffering families,” he urged.
The PDP leader cautioned that continued neglect could deepen the crisis and erode public trust in governance. “Calamities test the commitment of those in power. The people of Budgam should not be left to weather this disaster alone,” he remarked.
Zaffer further demanded comprehensive compensation and rehabilitation for farmers who have lost their crops, describing agriculture as “the lifeline of rural Kashmir that deserves both recognition and protection.”
