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| Despite warning of heavy snowfall Kashmir admin caught napping in restoring services | | Residents of Central, North Kashmir districts suffer due to faulty planning | | Jehangir Rashid
SRINAGAR, Jan 14: Despite the claims by divisional administration and administration of different districts of Kashmir that they are on alert following weather advisory of moderate to heavy snowfall people living in most of the areas of Central and North Kashmir are suffering due to reasons associated with snowfall.
Reports reaching here said that people living in districts like Budgam, Ganderbal, Baramulla, Kupwara and Bandipora are up against many odds due to the heavy snowfall that occurred on January 12 and 13 (Sunday and Monday). The residents of these districts have rued the claims of the administration that they are on ground to mitigate sufferings of common masses.
In majority of the areas of Central and North Kashmir snow is yet to be cleared from the roads thus making the movement of people virtually impossible there. The power supply is off in these areas and going by the tardy pace of restoration it may take days together for the people of these districts to see electrical energy yet again.
When last reports came in the snow was yet to be cleared from majority of the areas falling on the strategic Srinagar-Baramulla-Uri highway. With Baramulla town recording around four foot snow the authorities are facing tremendous hardship in removing the snow from the main roads and not to talk of the lanes as well as by-lanes of district.
The snow clearance work has been also hampered by the fact that due to the freezing last night temperature the snow has frozen at many places in the North and Central Kashmir. Although, the intensity of snow was less in Central Kashmir districts of Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal, but still then the administration was caught napping.
In the Budgam district important roads like Budgam-Magam, Budgam-Beerwah, Budgam-Khansahib, Budgam-Doodhpathri, Budgam-Narbal, Budgam-Shogpora and Chadoora-Yusmarg are still covered with snow. Just few snow cutting machines have been put in place to clear the snow from the important roads of this Central Kashmir district.
Allegations have come to the fore that instead of snow cutting machines the authorities have pressed into service tractors to clear the snow from different areas of Central Kashmir districts of Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal.
In the Budgam and Ganderbal districts of Central Kashmir the power supply was off on Monday morning and since then the supply has not been restored. People are suffering like anything due to the prolonged power shutdown and they mock at the claims of the concerned Corporation that restoration work has been taken up on war-footing basis.
It would be in place to mention here that the Srinagar centre of Indian Meteorological Department had one week back forecast that moderate to heavy snowfall would occur in Kashmir on January 12 and 13. Despite this warning the people at helm took the things lightly with the common masses being ultimate sufferers. Ten persons have lost their lives in snow related incidents with five deaths taking place at Kullan-Kangan in Ganderbal district. |
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