Irfan Tramboo
SRINAGAR, Dec 28: Kashmir including summer capital Srinagar struggled with sloppy snow clearance on the season’s first snowfall today, leaving key roads covered in snow in the morning and at places the clearance operation is yet to begin.
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While the authorities stated that men and machinery were out by 6 in the morning, major roads were still not cleared by 10 a.m., causing hassle for commuters.
In Srinagar, residents of various areas said that the clearance of main roads was delayed, and by 6 p.m., lanes and by-lanes had still not been cleared.
“We have not seen such sloppy snow clearance by the administration in recent years. Who knows what happened, because the officers used to say they were ready to deal with the post-snowfall situation,” said Abdul Ahad, a Srinagar resident.
“Normally our colony road used to be cleared in the morning by 9 am but today the clearance started in the evening. It was sloppy,” said Waseem Ahmad, resident of Shah Avenue Omar Abad, HMT.
In Anantnag, reports indicated that it appeared as though the administration did not exist, as people were waiting for the concerned departments to clear the snow from the roads. “The snow was cleared from main roads only till evening and the other roads were yet to be cleared,” he said.
In Budgam, a resident of Beerwah, Bashir Ahmad, stated that only the main market road was cleared, while the road at the bus station and other key roads of the town remained blocked.
“Normally, snow clearance is done by morning, but this time there were significant delays,” he said.
In Ganderbal, while National Highway-1 was cleared early in the morning, Excelsior was informed that some link roads have yet to be cleared, and the lanes and bylanes, which were mostly cleared manually, are still snow-laden, impeding effective movement of people.
In north Kashmir’s Baramulla where there were only few inches of snow, while the main roads were cleared on time, some link roads and most lanes and bylanes remain covered with snow. In Shopian, locals reported that the snow clearance was done on time.
In Srinagar smart city buses also remained off the road throughout the day, further curtailing the daily commute for people. The officials also stated that fewer of these buses were available.
The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) expressed deep concern over the Government’s “inadequate preparedness” in responding to snowfall that has severely disrupted daily life across various Districts of Kashmir valley.
The Chamber noted with dismay that given the forecast of a major snowfall which began on Friday, “major roads were left unattended with minimal deployment of personnel and snow-clearing machinery by District authorities , Municipalities and Local bodies.”
KCCI stated that the situation has been further compounded by “power outages and snow-covered roads, including inner locality streets , which reflect a gap in winter management protocols.”
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Srinagar Municipal Corporation, Dr. Owais Ahmed, while speaking with reporters, stated that manpower and machines were deployed starting yesterday when the snowfall began. He noted that machines have been on the job since then, clearing priority roads and connecting links.
“Since this morning, 40 machines have been carrying out the clearance operation in every ward. Manual clearance is also being carried out in lanes and bylanes,” he said, adding that the manpower is on the job and well-equipped.
He noted that priority-one roads were cleared early in the morning in one hour, while priority-two roads have also been cleared, leaving only the priority-three roads, which include lanes and bylanes. “Those are also being cleared,” he assured.
The Commissioner, accompanied by senior officials of the corporation, conducted thorough inspections across several areas today to assess the ongoing snow clearance and dewatering operations following the snowfall.
On the other hand, the Deputy Commissioner of Srinagar, Dr. Bilal Mohiuddin Bhatt, said that the snow clearance from all priority roads has been completed.
Speaking with reporters in the evening, the DC said: “We were already well-prepared and had conducted review meetings for preparedness. In Srinagar, 6-7 inches of snow were recorded, and the clearance mechanism was in place immediately.”
He added that roads under the Municipal Engineering Department (MED), covering 1,632 kilometers, were cleared promptly, with priority roads cleared by 12 p.m.
The R&B department, which manages 350 kilometers of roads, as per the DC, also reported significant progress in snow clearance.