Anika Rashid Farash
Authorities in Kashmir continue to display an alarming pattern of selective governance. Their actions come not from a sustained commitment to public welfare but from sudden bursts of activity that appear only when circumstances pressure them or when public outrage grows too loud to ignore. For the ordinary citizen, there is no dependable guiding system. There is no consistent structure through which he can walk with confidence and assurance that the departments created for his safety and well being will function every day. Instead, every department seems to wait until the eleventh hour, acting only when the situation has already escalated.
A recent video circulating online shows an anti encroachment drive being carried out in the heart of Lal Chowk. To many people this sudden activity may appear to be a sign of active governance. Yet the moment immediately recalls the anti encroachment operation conducted some years back. After that early display of responsibility there was complete silence, with no follow up, no monitoring and no sustained effort. Years passed without any visible action and today the duties that had long been forgotten seem to have been remembered once again. This sudden awakening has become an accepted norm in Kashmir, where responsibilities surface only after public inconvenience reaches its peak or when the administration begins to feel embarrassed.
This pattern is not limited to anti encroachment drives. It is a widespread administrative culture. Consider the incident at Tengpora in Srinagar last year. After a tragic road accident that took a life, the Traffic Department suddenly became hyper vigilant. Every street was filled with officers checking licenses, helmets, documents and seat belts. For a few weeks the roads looked disciplined and safe. Nobody dared to ride without a helmet because heavy fines were issued on the spot. Drivers kept their seat belts on because enforcement was strict and immediate. For a brief period it felt as if the department had finally woken from a long sleep.
However, as the memory of the accident faded from public minds, the interest of the department faded along with it. What should have become a long term habit of enforcement quickly disappeared. Traffic rules were no longer monitored with the same seriousness. People once again began driving without helmets. Roads returned to their earlier chaotic state. The system fell back into hibernation as if nothing had happened at all. The temporary enforcement that followed the accident was nothing more than a short lived reaction.
The same disappointing trend is seen in the Food Department. During the summer months the department suddenly conducted inspections of restaurants and roadside food vendors. This renewed alertness happened only after reports of rotten meat and unhygienic food practices reached the public. It was as if the department had been shaken awake by the fear that contaminated food might reach families across the valley. Inspectors appeared in the markets, checked storage areas, examined kitchens and questioned sellers. For a moment people felt relieved that someone was watching over their health.
But once again the pattern repeated itself. After a few weeks the department slipped back into silence. Restaurants continued operating without accountability. Many shops located in crowded areas maintained unknown hygiene standards. People remained unaware of the quality of ingredients used in bakery items that are daily essentials in Kashmiri households. Nobody knew whether the oil used was fresh or reused multiple times. Nobody knew if the kitchens were clean or if rodents and insects roamed the storage spaces. The temporary inspections brought no long term change because the department did not remain consistent.
This inconsistency raises serious questions. Why does the Food Department react only when the situation becomes life threatening.
Why must the public wait for a scandal involving rotten meat or contaminated oil before the department remembers its purpose. Why do inspectors appear like unexpected visitors one day and disappear again for months. If they can be active during emergencies, why can they not remain active throughout the year.
Citizens have the right to know the hygiene standards of every establishment where they spend their money and trust. They deserve to know if bakeries follow proper guidelines. They deserve to know if restaurants maintain clean kitchens. They deserve to know if sellers follow the rules set for public health. Yet they receive no such assurance because surveillance is never consistent.
Whether it is traffic management, roadside vending, food safety or anti encroachment, Kashmir requires a system that works every day and not only during moments of crisis. A department should not wait for loss of life or for a viral video to remind it of its responsibilities. The action taken today must not vanish tomorrow. The impact of any official work must continue for months and ideally for years. That continuity is the measure of real governance.
Traffic rules are meant to be followed in every situation. They are not meant to be enforced only after a tragic accident forces authorities to wake up. Anti encroachment drives are supposed to protect public spaces permanently. They are not symbolic displays of activity conducted once in several years. Food safety inspections are meant to protect families every single day. They are not emergency visits that happen only when a crisis surfaces.
For Kashmir to progress, its departments must adopt a culture of responsibility rather than a habit of reaction. Citizens deserve a government that functions consistently. They deserve safety without needing tragedy to demand it. They deserve accountability without needing to shout for it. They deserve departments that remain awake, aware and dutiful throughout the year.
Only then will the people feel protected. Only then will trust in institutions grow. Only then will governance in Kashmir reflect the dignity that its citizens deserve.
Anika Rashid Farash is a former research assistant at Srinagar Municipal Corporation, Currently Active in Media and Communication Initiatives.
