May 3, 2006	Wednesday	Rabi-us-Sani 4, 1427

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MUZAFFARABAD, May 2: The capital of Azad Jammu and Kashmir got its ‘food point’ back to business on Tuesday, almost seven months after the last year’s devastating earthquake forced its closure. The ‘food point’ had been initially inaugurated about two weeks before the Oct 8 earthquake on a 19th century pavilion with six cafes offering a variety of refreshments and cuisines.

However, as the quake flattened much of the town and forced its residents flee to safe areas, and food point had to close.

The pavilion, constructed as the foundation of a steel-bridge over River Jhelum, however, escaped any damage as the powerful tremor could not dislocate a rock from its structure.

The bridge was built around the same time to connect the main town with the highway to Srinagar on one side and Kohala on the other.

“It’s a great day...because it heralds the return of normality here,” said Municipal Corporation Muzaffarabad administrator Zahid Amin. “It will also create employment opportunities in the city.”

The outgoing General Officer Commanding of 12 Div, Maj-Gen Khalid Nawaz Janjua, unveiled a plaque to reopen the food-point and prayed for the revival of social and tourism related-activities in Muzaffarabad, a city with tremendous potential to attract tourists.

Colourful balloons and a red carpet gave festive looks to the food-point where people sipped traditional Kashmiri tea and enjoyed other refreshments to mark the reopening.

“I am really very happy today to see this hustle and bustle,” said Farooq Qadri, a citizen of Muzaffarabad.

Foreign aid workers associated with various UN agencies and international NGOs were also there enjoying cool breeze beside the waters of River Jhelum which is joined hardly a 100 yards away by River Neelum.

Mr Amin said the corporation would further beautify the food-point, adding: “We are also looking into the prospects of building a traditional Kashmiri Shikara to serve as a floating restaurant near this spot.”

Mustafa Lala, running one of the cafés at food-point, said he hoped the days ahead would help him forget bitter memories of the quake.

Mr Lala lost his wife, mother and a younger brother when his two-storey house in city’s commercial hub of Madina Market collapsed within seconds of the earthquake.

“Let’s pray Muzaffarabad prospers better than its past,” he said.