As the meteorologists predicted gloomy weather for at least next 48 hours, the district administration in Shopian said it had geared up its machinery to meet any eventuality.
The district administration said it had readied the snow-clearing machines to make all roads motorable as soon as possible in case there is a snowfall.
It said, at least four snow ploughs, five snow cats and one snow cutter had been kept ready to clear snow from different roads in the area.
Deputy Commissioner, Shopian, Choudary Muhammad Yasin said all measures had been put in place to meet any eventuality in view of the weather predictions.
The district has 137 roads with a road length of 587 km.
During winter, the area receives heavy snowfall, leaving many villages off-limits.
The upper reaches of the district like Hirpora, Sedow and Kellar usually receive 5 to 7 feet snow.
The high-altitude Peer Ki Gali stretch of the Mughal Road receives up to 15 feet snow.
“We use ploughs and snow cutters to clear snow from the main roads while the narrow lanes are cleared manually,” an official said.
Assistant Executive Engineer, Mechanical Field Sub Division Pulwama, Fayaz Ahmad told Greater Kashmir that any decision in relation to the Mughal Road would be taken by the administration.
However, he said that the department was fully prepared to clear snow from the road.
The district administration said the Power Development Department (PDD) had already set up a control room to ensure immediate restoration of power supply in case snowfall causes damage to transmission lines in the area.
An official said that the control room would work round the clock in close coordination with the district administration with the Assistant Executive Engineer and Assistant Engineers monitoring its functioning.