Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Jan 7: As the SMC and other concerned departments utterly failed in clearing the accumulated snow from the city roads, Srinagar Mayor Junaid Mattu today accepted that the corporation is ill-equipped and lacks workforce.
“The response could have been better, but I want to tell that the SMC is ill-equipped and we also do not have the required workforce to work on the ground,” he said during a press conference here.
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There has been a lot of criticism from the public regarding the inaction of the SMC about the snow clearance in the City. The public also mocked the corporation for using tractors and JCBs for clearing the snow in the city post heavy snowfall.
He said that the SMC currently has 12-15 JCB and loaders and said that it was embarrassing to send out its men to clear the snow with shovels. “This is not pride, it is an utter embarrassment for us,” he said.
Notably, the snow clearance in the city is usually carried out by three departments, the Mechanical Engineering Department (MED), R&B and the SMC. The R&B clears the roads while as the SMC is tasked to clear the lanes and by-lanes on the city.
“Officially, we have around 7500 lanes and by-lanes in the city but unofficially it is around 15000-now compare it with the available machinery and the manpower,” he said.
Mattu said that 14 months ago the Corporation had decided to procure 25 snow clearance machines which were even approved, however, he said that the file is still lying pending for unknown reasons.
He said that despite funds being available, the file is lying pending. Mattu warned that if the file in not cleared by the officials of the SMC within next 10-15 days, he would name and shame the officials, who he said, are sitting on the file.
He said that the MED, R&B and SMC should have been working in a joint control room and should have carried out the sharing of resources, which he said, did not happen
“I will request the honourable LG to ascertain if things could have been better. I am sure that he would have been briefed about the inadequacies. I am also going to write to him about setting systemic issues right,” he said.
Regarding the allegations of corruption in the corporation, he said: “I have repeatedly said that I want every agency in the country to investigate every dealing in the SMC, but don’t make us a spitting wall. Those who are proved wrong must be dealt with strictly,” he said.
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