Seattle is the central city of King County, Washington. Popularly known as the Gateway to Alaska, Seattle is also the largest city in the Northwestern United States having a population count of 608,660.   
  Recently, Seattle received the first snowfall (about 1-8 inches) of the year and as per the reports it consumed much of Seattle’s annual “Snow-response Budget” which is specifically named and meant for snow removal measures. It cost the city of Seattle nearly 1.35 million dollars, more than half of its annual budget of 2.2 million dollars, for snow response.
Quoting the officials, the daily Seattle Times reported that the crews worked 24 hour days for nearly a full week to keep snow routes, typically the arterials travelled by buses and emergency vehicles open and the pavement bare and wet. The exercise resulted in 5,015 labor hours. The city hired contractors to help crews plow the streets, and also borrowed additional vehicles from other city departments. Over 55,000 gallons of liquid salt brine and 3,372 tons of rock salt were used for snow removal. An emergency operations centre was set up and overlooked by city Mayor who was checking in periodically there to oversee the fleet of snowplows that were keeping most of the city’s major thoroughfares operating smoothly.
Despite this kind of alert response, some 120 traffic accidents were reported from the areas in south of Seattle and more than 70 flights were cancelled out of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The Los Angeles Times ran the headline—‘Snow wimps: Seattle is shut down by first real snow of the season’, and commented that the ‘city has always marched unarmed into its infrequent battles with snow’ (18, January-2012).
Back home, Srinagar—the summer capital of third-world spot Kashmir—too is wrestling with the blows of harsh weather. Of course, there is no comparison between Seattle and Srinagar. Everything in West is not at all the best.  But certain affairs of life are diametrically different.
Like political situation in Kashmir, winters here also possess a dual role. For outsiders the snowy appearance of the sub-zero temperature begins from dancing snowflakes, snowman, snowballs and ends at heli-skiing. Whilst for most of the inhabitants here, it is an agonizing ordeal. From darkness to death, nothing good happens for them. The sky-rocketing prices and non-availability of what is most needed is culminated by frequent power-cuts that lend them a gift of darkness. Frozen life paralyzes the soul.
The winter weather response is utterly poor for most of the state agencies are usually caught napping in the hour of crisis. It has been happening since years. There is no dearth of money that could be stipulated for handling the winter exigency but what is perhaps lacking is the will to change and live better quality life. Besides, the facilities available in Kashmir for combating cold weather conditions could be made more effective and prompt if it is augmented with proper planning and prioritization, scientific management, and of course, accountability.
It is no big deal to tackle a ‘disaster’ called snow. The same phenomenon can be worth living if people at the helm of affairs know their jobs well. How is it Seattle, where it snows more often than Srinagar and the snow is of no different texture, can come to grips with snow with an identifiable budget?
If only same happens here, people can dream enjoying the aroma of coffee corner shops while snow drapes them all over. Or take pleasure in reading a book in a lit snug room. Else like sauntering down the snowy pavements, breathing and living snow the way people abroad do.
(The columnist teaches at Media Education Research Centre, MERC, University of Kashmir)

Lastupdate on : Sat, 28 Jan 2012 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 28 Jan 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sun, 29 Jan 2012 00:00:00 IST