Scores of Karnah-bound passengers who are stranded in Srinagar for the past one week staged a protest demonstration on Monday and demanded their immediate airlifting.
The protesters said they are unable to go to their homes due to the closure of the Kupwara-Karnah road, the only surface link between Srinagar and Karnah.
Around 300 Karnah-bound passengers are also stranded at Chowkibal, Kupwara, they said.
In Srinagar, one of the protesters said, they have been visiting concerned authorities for help every day.
“We have been repeatedly asked to provide names and phone numbers to facilitate our airlifting to Karnah. This is the only thing being done for the past one week,” said Khurshid Ahmad, a stranded passenger.
He said despite repeated assurances, they were not airlifted on Monday.
Abdul Hamid, sarpanch of Dildar village in Karnah, who was also part of the protest, said their pockets are empty now and they are unable to meet the expenses of stay in Srinagar.
“On the other hand, many students in Karnah are not able to reach Srinagar or other places to sit in their examinations,” he said.
He said people from Karnah informed him about severe shortage of essential commodities there.
“Many patients in Karnah need to visit Srinagar for immediate treatment. They have been waiting for reopening of the road. Our pleas are falling on deaf ears,” he said.
The protestors demanded clearance of snow and reopening of the Karnah-Kupwara road without any further delay.
“The snow clearance operation was very slow and there is prediction of fresh snowfall from Wednesday. We fear that we may be stranded for more days if authorities don’t wake up from deep slumber and airlift us on Tuesday,” they said.
“Some of us are now staying in local mosques while a few have borrowed money from their friends,” said Bilal Ahmad, another protestor.