Srinagar: Unexpected heavy snowfall derailed the road clearance plans of authorities in Kashmir as major arterial links remained closed.
While authorities ‘took time’ to clear snow accumulations, people across Kashmir complained that snow clearance process was sloppy.
Though there was an advisory for inclement weather issued by the Meteorological Department, the administration took time to act.
Most of the roads were blocked by accumulated snow till noon when finally the snow clearance picked up some speed.
People were dejected by the ‘slow response’ of the administration as it created problems for office-goers, businessmen who had to attend to their businesses.
As a result, major markets of Kashmir remained partially shut as most of the businessmen could not reach their workplaces.
“It was a failure of the authorities that snowfall caught them unprepared. On papers, they issue statements about their snow clearance plans and review meeting but on the ground, there was nothing to boast about,” said Ajaz Ahmad, a Srinagar resident who could attend his shop at Ganderbal due to the closure of 90 feet road stretch which connects Ganderbal district to the summer capital.
In many places, dialysis patients faced problems reaching dialysis centers due to road closures ” I could not take my mother to get her weekly dialysis done as roads till 11 am in our vicinity were closed due to snowfall,” said Inayat Ahmad, a resident of Hawal.
Likewise, the situation in district headquarters and rural areas of Kashmir is even worse. By the time this report was filed around 40 percent of roads in the rural areas are still unconnected to district headquarters. Scores of link roads, lanes, bylanes were covered with snow as the SMC’s men and machinery were yet to reach these areas.
The Divisional Administration had devised a snow clearance plan for 17,000 kilometers of road length in the Kashmir division. Roads and Building Department which has 8038 kilometers of road length under its jurisdiction also had finalised a clearance plan, the Mechanical Engineering department too had completed preparations.