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| Day Five: White Monster Puts Life Under Carpet | | All wish well in Valley | | Early Times Reporter
Jammu | Feb 7
You might have heard of the famous proverb “owners’ pride and neighbour’s envy” but the persistently inclement weather seems to have made the Kashmir Valley a nightmare for its inhabitants but a breathtaking sight for the television watchers and tourists.
Winters in Kashmir Valley attract thousands of adventure loving tourists from across the country for its snow clad valleys and meadows. However, for its inmates the prolonged snowfall is always a worst nightmare which takes the electricity away and essential commodities scarce.
With no respite in sight for fifth consecutive day, the situation is going from bad to worse in Kashmir as Valley has been completed snowed in. Avalanches are killing people while many others are loosing life to severe cold.
Two persons are reported to have been killed by the avalanches in Kupwara district. Reports said, two porters namely Niyaz Mohammad, 26, son of Raj Mohammad and Mumtaz Ahmad, 24, son of Shamus-us-Din, residents of Nachiyan Karnah, who were working as porters with NCA at Sadna Post, falling under the jurisdiction of Police station Karnah Kupwara, were swept away in an avalanche. Both are believed to be dead. Search for the dead bodies is on.
Two soldiers also have been reported killed in the cold weather. Rifleman Vinod Kumar of Village Bagwana District Kathua died in a snow avalanche at company post of 13 JAKLI located at Badi Bahak Kupwara, falling under the jurisdiction of Police Station Trehgam Kupwara.
In the cruel Waltengu Nar which took toll of more than 200 lives in 2005, the situation is again coming up with a grim reminder. Putting their own lives at risk, Police has rescued around 60 people from Waltengu Nar in Anantnag. Many of the rescued people were carried to safety by Policemen on their backs.
According to SP Kulgam, Mr Swayam Prakash Pani, after heavy snowfall in the area, a avalanche warning was given at Waltengu Nar where around 60 people of 15 families were trapped in avalanche prone area.
On this, a team from Police station Qazigund headed by SHO Qazigund Reyaz Ahmed was immediately dispatched to the spot to rescue the trapped people, he added.
He said that during the rescue operations, Police shifted 60 people to safer places. Of the rescued people, an individual was injured who alongwith children and few elderly people were carried by Policemen on their backs from snow bound area to safer places.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has asked the divisional administration in Kashmir to remain vigilant for the coming few days in view of the severe weather conditions and forecast of more snow even as he expressed satisfaction over the good work done by various government departments for quick restoration of supply and communication system in the valley.
Despite hostile weather, Azad flew in from Jammu today to take stock of the situation arising out of the heavy snowfall for the past few days. He was accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister, Muzaffar Hussain Beig, Minister for Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution, Taj Mohiuddin and Minister for Social Welfare, Abdul Ghani Vakil.
The State plane carrying the Chief Minister and his colleagues was the first aircraft to have landed in Srinagar in the past three days. The valley had been cut off as road and air connectivity was severed due to bad weather. Since Tuesday, the Chief Minister had tried several times to visit the valley and personally monitor the situation there but the weather did not permit him to proceed. Today, however, the attempt to fly was successful even though it was snowing when the aircraft landed here.
Immediately after his arrival, the Chief Minister took a high level meeting of senior divisional officers and heads of departments headed by the Divisional Commissioner, Mehboob Iqbal and enquired about the latest position with regard to essential supplies and snow clearance. He was informed that 43 snow clearing machines had been pressed into service in the Valley, 27 of which were deployed in districts of Kulgam, Anantnag and Shopian where maximum snowfall had been recorded. |
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