The non-clearance of snow from inner roads, lanes and bylanes by the authorities subjected the Srinagar residents to acute hardships on the second consecutive day today.
Greater Kashmir received scores of calls throughout the day from different Srinagar areas with people accusing the authorities of inaction.
In most of the city areas, people preferred to remain indoors due to non-clearance of the snow and water logging. The residents also complained of power disruptions.
Netizens also shared pictures along with complaints on social media criticizing the authorities for failing to act. “The district administration and Srinagar Municipal Corporation seems buried under the snow. Total failure. People suffer (sic),” wrote AqibBhat.
The inhabitants of Bemina, Buchwara, Chanapora, Syed Abad Soiteng, Lasjan, Habba Kadal, Fateh Kadal, Noorani Colony-B, Kursoo Padshahibagh, Rambagh, Tusibagh, Batamaloo, HMT, Shalteng, Rawalpora, Sanatnagar, Gojwara, Rajori Kadal, Nowhatta, Hawal, Hazratbal, Tailbal, Mount View Colony Zakura and scores of other areas complained that non-clearance of snow from lanes and by lanes forced them to stay indoors.
They added that it can prove detrimental in case of medical emergency. “Even ambulances can neither reach inside nor any vehicle can enter our locality as lanes and bylanes are yet to be cleared. Authorities are in slumber,” they said.
People from various areas complained that power supply remained disrupted and was yet to be restored till late Wednesday evening. A caller from Usmanabad, Shalteng said that they have not seen the electricity for past two days.
Many traders in the city center said that the non-clearance of the snow from the sidewalks around Residency Road and other link roads created huge inconvenience to them.
“The huge mounds of snow accumulated on sidewalks and road sides are not only creating huddles in movement but are also deadly for the pedestrians. We understand that the snowfall has been huge but the administration should do something about it, for if the snow freezes on the pathways it will endanger pedestrian movement,” said Nisar Ahmed, a shopper at Residency Road.
The shopkeepers at the city center said that the non-clearance of snow from the roads was also triggering traffic jams and affecting the overall business.
Residents of Awantabhavan, Dar Mohalla, Soura told Greater Kashmir that they faced immense hardships on the second consecutive day on Wednesday due to non-clearance of the roads.
“No machine or men was pressed into service in our locality for snow clearance. In our locality, various people are associated with emergency services. However, they could not report today at their respective offices as accumulated snow forced us to stay indoors,” Dr Hakeem Naseer Ahmad Shah told Greater Kashmir over phone.
Inhabitants of Allochibagh said that authorities left the water logging unattended while the accumulated snow was also not cleared from lanes and bylanes.
Ajaz Ahmad of Allochibagh said that locals also made several calls on the helpline numbers issued by authorities, “but there was no response.”
He added that most of the students from locality could not make it to tuitions today due to blocked interior roads.
Locals of Gagribal also complained that snow was not cleared there. “Leave lanes and by lanes, even interior roads in our locality have not been cleared,” they complained.
Footpaths of main roads in various areas were also not cleared till Wednesday evening. “There is imminent threat of road accidents. Authorities should have cleared footpaths in early morning to avoid any untoward incident,” said few pedestrians at Baghat. Chief sanitation officer, SMC, MudasirBanday said that the corporation had hired extra machinery and carried out night operations to speed up the process of snow clearance.
“There is a huge accumulation of snow on main roads, link roads and we are doing everything to speed up the process of snow clearance in Srinagar. Around 55 percent of roads, sidewalks and link roads were cleared by 3 PM and the work is going on. Many areas are yet to be cleared from snow and work in these areas is going on. We have hired 15 excavators (JCBs) to speed up the operations,” Banday said.
The officials from SMC said that from Tuesday evening, the corporation has started night operations of snow-clearance in all 35 SMC wards of Srinagar. They said of the 1900-km roads under SMC jurisdiction over 1000-km were cleared by Wednesday 3 PM.