Srinagar, Mar 21: The devastative windstorm, which unleashed havoc across the Valley leaving at-least three people dead, literally proved a blessing in disguise for a mare and her three-month-old colt, who were Wednesday rescued alive from a south City marsh where the duo had been stuck, neck deep, without food and water for the past over a fortnight.

THE GENESIS
 The residents of Hill View Colony, Sector 2, Rawalpora said for the past around two weeks, the horses were lying immobile in a nearby marsh, recently land filled.
 “We presumed them of being dead and had been asking the concerned authorities to lift the carcass from the area or else it would stench with the rising temperatures,” the residents said adding that till this morning there was no response from the administration.

HELPLINE FACTOR
 The residents said a ray of hope emerged this morning when they came across in a newspaper, the contact numbers of helpline, which Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) has setup in the wake of the windstorm.
 Apart from other officials, the helpline had the personal mobile number of the SMC Commissioner, something which many termed was unheard of till now. Finding it an opportunity to have an instant one-on-one with the SMC head, the residents tried their luck by calling his number.
 Within an hour, the residents found a team of SMC officials led by its Veterinary officer Dr Sajad Mughal appearing on the site.

POOR HORSE FAMILY
 But what happened next, the residents confessed, was more amazing than the instant response by the civic body. As the Veterinary official and his team reached towards the animals, presumed dead, the mother-child duo was found alive, though in a critical condition.
 “Stuck helplessly, without any food and water, they were counting their last breaths,” said Dr Sajad adding he instantly called the Director Animal Husbandry, Dr Farooq Ahmed Kaloo seeking immediate veterinary assistance.
 By the time the SMC people pulled out the animal duo from the loose mud, a team from Veterinary hospital at Maisuma rushed in with requisite aid.
 “The mother has almost lost one of her eyes and her head is wounded presumably in struggle to sympathetically touch her colt while their bodies were badly damaged due to constant contact with the mud. You can say they were decaying alive,” said Dr Ravi Singh, a vet adding that their condition was so critical that the patients couldn’t be shifted elsewhere but where treated on the spot.
 The animals were in such a bad condition that they had almost lost their skin. “Mud had almost eaten away their skin, all that could reveal their real color was some portion of head which looked brown,” Dr Sajad said.
 While expressing sorrow over the plight of the mare-colt duo, the locals said they never expected such a quick response from the SMC. “And they (SMC people) later confirmed from us if at all our problem was mitigated or not said,” the locals said.

BOTTOMLINE
 As about the ailing mare-colt duo, they were being administered dextrose and other medicines on the Rawal Pora vacant land till evening when their condition improved and they were taken to animal pond at Tengpora, an animal shelter where SMC confines stray animals till their master’s turn up to take them back home after paying fine or they, never do!

Response To Civic Body Initiative
 When contacted the SMC Commissioner Dr GN Qasba said the helpline had helped a lot, the civic body to improve its contact with people in this hour of crisis.
 By afternoon, Dr Qasba said, the civic body received over 500 calls while he personally received over a 100.
 For improved services, a register of the phone calls is being maintained for a follow-up to see if the caller’s problem has been mitigated or not, he said.
 Dr Qasba however said most of the callers sought relief. “But I apprized them that initially the helpline was to provide rescue in the form of men and machinery where ever required irrespective of the jurisdiction issues in the City. For that matter our office is maintaining an excellent coordination with the offices of the Div Comm and the DDC,” Dr Qasba explained.

Lastupdate on : Wed, 21 Mar 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 21 Mar 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Thu, 22 Mar 2012 00:00:00 IST