Shopian, Jan 13: Due to heavy snowfall, life in south Kashmir’s Shopian district was thrown out of gear on Friday.
It started snowing late Thursday night that continued till Friday evening.
An official said that many outlying villages like Sedow, Krachpathri, Heerpora, and Kellar received around 2 feet of snow while the plains saw 13 inches of snow.
District Magistrate (DM) Sachin Kumar Vaishya told Greater Kashmir that the district administration was fully prepared to meet any eventually.
“We have set up a control room that will remain functional round the clock,” Vaishya said.
The DM said that men and machinery had already been geared up in view of the snow forecast.
As it began snowing in the district, Municipal Council Shopian (MCS) pressed its men and machinery into services to clear the roads.
At least 50 Safai Karamchari could be seen dotting the streets of the town to clear the roads.
“We deployed our men at multiple slippery slopes to help vehicles move smoothly,” said Suhail Malik, Executive Officer, Municipal Council Shopian.
He said that at least seven machines including JCBs and loaders were pressed into service.
An R&B official said that the main roads had been cleared.
“However, it is way difficult to ply on these roads due to slippery conditions,” the official said.
He said that snow-clearing operations were stymied due to the continuous snowfall.
“We are clearing the roads but the uninterrupted snowfall is covering them up again,” he said.
The district has 137 roads with a road length of 587 km.
While the electricity remained more or less unaffected in major parts of Shopian town, some far-off villages were without electric and water supply.
“The entire area has plunged into darkness since it began snowing late Thursday night,” said Abdul Aziz of Gatipora village.
He said that the village was also facing shortage of water.