On September 7, after several days of pounding rain, when the fierce floodwaters started submerging Srinagar, Bashir Ahmed — a coal merchant and resident of Lasjan — drove all his seven cars, one by one, to a safer location. He had done this before as he lived in a flood-prone area. However, this time the story was different. As the floodwaters gradually receded and the family went in search of the cars, they realised the enormity of the disaster. “We somehow retrieved the cars from the mud and slush. It took us several days, as many of them had been swept away in the flooding.”

Like Bashir, hundreds of other car owners were frantically towing, either manually or using tractors and cranes, their vehicles to crowded service stations. And that’s how car dealers such as Jamkash Vehicleades at Hyderpora and Peaks Auto at Lasjan, situated strategically at the national highway bypass, are today swamped with flood-damaged cars of every shape, colour and size. Alongside ruined houses, food-crops and livestock, the floods damaged nearly 15,000 vehicles in the Valley.

The repair and restoration work is proving daunting as it has to be completed before snowfall hits the Kashmir Valley any time soon. A large number of these cars are from the Maruti Suzuki stable, so the company has temporarily deployed nearly 700 technicians, including 400 from dealerships countrywide, to speed up the work. “About 6,500 of our customer vehicles were damaged in the floods, of which 1,070 have been restored so far,” says a company spokesperson.

The engine control module (ECM) and electrical systems of the vehicles were damaged as they were under water for several days. Through SMS the company had advised customers not to restart their vehicles until after an authorised mechanic had checked it.

“Maruti has also committed to bear 50 per cent of the depreciation amount. Normally, the total depreciation amount is payable by the customer. The offer is valid across the State at 30 workshops,” says the company.

Car service providers have their share of woeful stories. Says Irfan Ahmed, managing director at Jamkash Vehicleades, “In the initial days, customers lost patience and it took much effort to pacify them. No one was prepared for such a disaster.” Baldev Singh, who heads Peaks Auto, is worried about the shortage of spare parts, as some models including Maruti 800 have been phased out.

Maruti has past experience in such disaster management during the Mumbai and Surat flash floods, says Pankaj Narula, Executive Director Services. The company is offering an exchange facility for cars with irreversible damages.

“The company has returned three vehicles after repairs. I am still waiting for the remaining four,” says Bashir. Hopefully before the first snowflake begins to fall.

The writer is a freelance journalist based in Jammu & Kashmir

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