Thread by @RadioChinar

The inspirational story of Shopian post Aug 5 2019.
#Article370
A #thread.

#Shopian is the smallest & the newest district in #Kashmir, located 20 km eastwards of #Pulwama, its bountiful apple crop 3.5 lakh MT/year ensures that there is minimal poverty in the area.
(1/14)

There is a strong sense of regional identity & #aspiration in #Shopian, however, repeated bouts of unrest over the last few years have disrupted its developmental trajectory, especially in 2016 after the #BurhanWani incident.
(2/14)

The post #Article370 transition in #Shopian was carefully directed & sublimely executed. The people showed great maturity & cooperated immensely, even as rumours of “outsider influx” & “demographic change” abounded.
(3/14)

Making the #Shopian fruit industry adjust to a new administrative & financial landscape was not easy. In the middle of peak season, a series of #terrorist attacks took place in which 05 non-local truck drivers & traders were killed.
(4/14)

The attacks were intended to scare people into observing economic shutdown. An exodus of non-local buyers & truckers followed. #Shopian stared at a possible economic catastrophe. However a strong collaboration emerged between the administration & the locals to save the day.(5/14)

To plug the scarcity of trucks, administration brought in every #government truck they could find, while local transporters, including those from neighboring districts, chipped in and jointly ensured sale & evacuation in time. Govt rolled out a market intervention scheme..
(6/14)

..in collaboration with NAFED & notified an attractive MSP for apples to protect those left without buyers. The wealthier growers surrendered their selling spots for the poorer ones. In times of crisis the people of #Kashmir come together & engage constructively with Govt.
(7/14)

In #Zainpora there’s a village called Wachi. The elders of Wachi, led by the ebullient Mohammed Shafi Sahab, fought tooth & nail to secure the new proposed degree college for their village. The college was finally allocated at Zainpora headquarters.
(8/14)

That didn’t stop the elders of Wachi from thronging the DC’s office repeatedly, camping for hours on end, thereby forcing the administration to compensate by meeting their other demands, which led to building of three new #bridges and a new #hospital in Wachi.
(9/14)

On January 20, a major anti-terrorist operation took place in Wachi, in which 03 local #terrorists of HM were killed. Despite the tension in the area & security warnings, the #Hospital was inaugurated in an impressive ceremony that was organised by the locals.
(10/14)

As the DC was leaving the function, he turned back to hug Shafi Sahab, realising what he had managed to achieve for his village. Leadership is intrinsic to Kashmiris, elders like Shafi Sahab exist in every village of #Kashmir, leading Auqaf committees & other such groups.
(11/14)

Even as #COVID19 spread, a silver lining emerged as the Govt & people came together to tackle it. Numerous PRI members & locals became key partners in our fight against the virus, helping govt with contact tracing, public sensitisation & community-level capacity building.
(12/14)

#Imams of various #mosques showed a lot of maturity to convince worshipers against gathering for congregational prayers in an unsafe manner.
(13/14)

In last one year in #Shopian 14 gunfights, 38 terrorists killed (89% locals) yet not a single civilian was killed. The administration achieved much more than it expected post #Article370 but none of it could have been possible without the support of the people of Shopian.
(14/14)

This #thread is a #tribute to each #Kashmiri and the #Kashmir #administration who irrespective of insane acts of some #disillusioned managed to usher development in the heavenly state...