Rayees Shah
Wali Mohammed Mir, an ex-sarpanch and senior socio-political activist from Bernate village in Boniyar tehsil, north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, has gained overnight acclaim from locals for his determined effort to secure a basic necessity for his community.
Mir walked 23 kilometers barefoot from Boniyar to the district headquarters in Baramulla, demanding the establishment of a fire and emergency service station in his area. Boniyar is the centre of hundreds of villages but the nearest fire and emergency services was located at least 23 kilometers away from the village.
This courageous act was prompted by a devastating fire incident on the intervening night of Tuesday, which gutted ten shops and posed a significant threat to nearby houses and government property.
According to locals, the damage could have been mitigated if a fire tender had been available at the tehsil headquarters.
They reported that over ten fire incidents, affecting residential houses and business establishments, have occurred recently, causing losses worth crores of rupees and leaving many people homeless and jobless.
On July 23, Wali Mohammed Mir embarked on his “Pad Yatra” to the DC office in Baramulla, braving the hot temperatures and harsh climate. Initially walking alone, he was soon joined by other youths from Boniyar with the aim to bring to notice the urgent need for a fire and emergency service station in their area.
Notable figures, including ex-Block Development Council Chairman Bilal Ashiq Mir, Syed Nissar Geelani, Mukhtiar Ahmad Mir, and other socio-political activists, later joined the march, locals told The Kashmiriyat.
Upon reaching Baramulla with blistered and bloody feet, top officials of the Fire and Emergency Service Kashmir, along with the Deputy Commissioner of Baramulla, took swift action.
They sanctioned the establishment of a fire service station in Boniyar. By Wednesday, a fire tender, accompanied by officials from the department, arrived in Boniyar, marking the end of the long wait and fulfilling the community’s demand.
Pertinently, in January 2023, Wali Mohammed, along with his companions, initiated an indefinite hunger strike in bone-chilling winter conditions. The protest was against the hike in electricity bills, power curtailment, and the misuse of NHPC’s CSR funds, which they claimed were not being utilized in Boniyar.
Their efforts prompted the director of KPDCL to address their demands.
Consequently, NHPC released CSR funds, which were distributed Panchayat-wise for developmental works in the respective Panchayats of Tehsil Boniyar and Tehsil Uri.