Scientific options to be explored to check abrasions
R&B planning to provide snow blower to each division
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Sept 30: Concerned over huge annual expenditure over the maintenance of roads post snow clearance, the Chief Secretary of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir Dr Arun Kumar Mehta has issued directions for preparation of Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and exploring scientific options to prevent abrasion of macadamized surface.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that in a high-level meeting the Chief Secretary raised the issue of snow clearance during winters which often leads to abrasion of macadamized surface causing avoidable expenditure on account of restoration of roads post winter season.
It was felt that the issue needs to be scientifically explored by the Roads and Buildings Department for optimal maintenance of roads during snow clearance operation thus obviating the need of their subsequent restoration.
After threadbare discussion, it was decided that a committee will be constituted by the General Administration Department comprising the concerned Administrative Secretaries and technical experts, which shall suggest measures to address the problem, sources informed.
“The recommendations of the committee shall be furnished in a time bound manner for follow-up action and subsequent framing of guiding Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)”, sources said quoting the directions of the Chief Secretary.
They informed that the life cycle of roads in Jammu region is much more than those in Kashmir valley where majority of the roads get accumulated by the snow during the winter months and in the process of removing the white blanket the snow-cutters cause massive damage to the roads. “Not only once, the snow cutters/removers are used multiple times on every road during the winter months in Kashmir valley and hilly districts of Jammu region and this is the major reason behind their damage”, sources added.
Disclosing that these snow-cutter machines were procured quite long time back and have even become obsolete, sources said that there are very few divisions of the Roads and Buildings Department in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir which have snow-cutters at their disposal and rest of the divisions are required to wait for long period and this leads to thick blanket of snow on the roads, the removal of which at the belated stage leads to abrasions.
“This is mainly because no serious attention was paid by the successive Governments in Jammu and Kashmir towards equipping R&B divisions in the snow-bound areas with advanced machinery”, sources further said, adding moreover, no serious attention was ever paid towards exploring scientific methods of snow clearance to avoid damages to the roads.
They informed that Roads and Buildings Department has already submitted a proposal to the Government for procurement of adequate number of snow-blowers so that each division in the areas experiencing snowfall every year gets the same. “The snow-blowers will be put to use immediately after the snowfall and this will prevent the use of snow-cutters and ultimately road surface will not suffer damages”, sources added.
“Whatever scientific method will be opted by the Roads and Buildings Department as directed by the Chief Secretary advanced machinery is required to be placed at the disposal of R&B divisions and procurement process is required to be set into motion as early as possible keeping in view the procedural formalities which generally consume quite long time”, sources said.
They further said, “short term measures are required to be taken immediately to ensure that expenditure on maintenance of roads after snowfall is reduced up to the desired level but long term planning in terms of procurement of advanced machinery would be of immense help in not only keeping the roads open during and after the snowfall but also to obliterate the changes of damage to surface of roads”.
“Since the committee as desired by the Chief Secretary is yet to be framed, approval for procurement of advanced machinery is still awaited and scientific options have yet not been explored there are remote chances of preventing damage to the roads during the forthcoming winter season”, sources said.
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