Srinagar: The Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA) Department has started dumping ration in border areas and other far-off areas across Kashmir which remain inaccessible during the winter.
According to the officials, the department has almost completed the target of dumping ration in border areas which would be served during winter to the people residing in these areas.
Talking to Greater Kashmir, Director FCS&CA, Kashmir, Abdul Salam said that the border areas were already covered and the ration for winter months for these areas was dumped before October 15.
“For other snow-bound areas we have time till November to dump the ration for winter,” he said.
Salam said that the border areas were covered early this year given the early snowfall and overall weather conditions.
Karnah, Keran, Machil, Jumgund, Kumkudi, and Budnambal areas of Kupwara district and Gurez area of Bandipora remain cut off for almost six months due to snowfall.
Assistant Director of FCS&CA Department, Kupwara, Wali Muhammad told Greater Kashmir that they had lifted 58,808 quintals of rice to cater to border areas of Kupwara district.
“The ration has been lifted and dumped in the respective ration stores of border areas of Kupwara district,” he said.
Wali said around 1565 quintals of flour and 173 quintals of sugar besides 83,500 litres of kerosene had also been lifted and dumped in the ration stores.
“There is a requirement of around 21,700 LPG cylinders to cater to these areas during winter months of which around 13,000 cylinders have been lifted,” he said. “Some issues with the supply of LPG remain as the supply is to be managed from the agencies.”
Wali said that the ration dumped in border areas would also cater to the Mid Day Meals (MDM) in schools of these areas and supply to Integrated Child Development Service (ICDS) centres would be managed as well.
He said around 160 ration stores fall in semi-border or snow-bound areas where they need 51,000 quintals of ration including rice and flour.
“We have covered around 65 percent of the area and the rest of the areas will be covered by October end,” Wali said.
Besides Kupwara, some areas of Uri and Boniyar besides the upper belts of Rafiabad, Tangmarg, and Narwa also remain cut off for almost four months due to snowfall in winter.
“These areas remain inaccessible as the roads remain blocked due to heavy snowfall. So we dump the ration for these areas for four or six months which caters to the people living in these areas,” an official of the FCS&CA Department said.
Baramulla has around 80 dumping stations where the department stocks the ration to cater to the people during winter.
Assistant Director FCS&CA, Baramulla, Sheikh Tariq Ahmad told Greater Kashmir that they had started stocking ration to these snow-bound areas which would cater to the people during winter months.
“In Baramulla, we don’t have any border areas which remain completely cut off,” he said.
Ahmad said that the ration was being dumped in the stores which would be completed by November.