Nearly 30,000 residents of the Kargil area are in a similarly unhappy condition. Aid agencies rushed in with relief supplies, but distribution was a problem. If the government does not reach us before that, they can come and clear our bodies once the snow melts. A delegation of Kargil villagers went to New Delhi recently to see Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. They were promised more assistance, but it may come too late.
Several villages are already snowbound.
Even if emergency rations can be provided, life in these remote areas has changed forever. Instead of smooth fields, there are now trenches. The apricot orchards have been destroyed. Soil and water are contaminated with cordite. The army remains a frustrating presence.