Tariq Ahmad Patloo, 50 has become the talk of the town rather than the talk of Dal Lake, after he has successfully designed the first ‘water ambulance’ for the dwellers of the water body.
Stigmatized and abandoned by the community when he was suffering from Covid-19 in August this year motivated Tariq to come with such an idea. “I got infected in August and it was then people of my community started to ignore, isolate, abandon and stereotype me,” said Tariq.
He said that he was unable to cross the lake as everyone would refuse to ferry him to the road side. “I was very shocked when people with whom I would sit and talk on a daily basis refused to ferry me and didn’t even look at me,” said Tariq.
For every ride ashore, he would call his friend. “My health started to deteriorate more during that phase, after which my brother who lives in the Brane area of Nishat took me to his home, but even after that my condition was only worsening,” said Tariq, as tears welled up in his eyes.
He said he was then shifted to a hospital where his only concern was the community and didn’t care about his own health. “During my time in the hospital, I only thought about the situation I faced and couldn’t stop thinking about the people of my community. I didn’t want my people to face what I faced, this idea of building a water ambulance came to me during my time in the hospital,” he said.
Once back from the hospital, Tariq contacted his friend in New Delhi who gave him the green signal to go ahead with the project and promised every assistance.
According to Tariq, his water ambulance is 90% completed and now he only needed to install medical equipment in it. “I have designed this whole ambulance by myself and I only need to install medical equipment in it, which I will do after consulting a doctor,” he said.
The only help from the administration, he said, was in the form of a driver, a doctor and a technician for his ambulance, who would be available 24×7 for the service of his community.