Kashmir has though survived even the snow furies all through the decades but never an alarm was raised the way government hyped the snow forecast this time. Keeping the administration in a state of preparedness to fight any eventuality is though routine practice of the government but this time government hyped the snow forecast so much as if a heavy snowfall was a new experience for the people in Kashmir. Nothing new for the people Kashmir are the government’s tall claims about establishing special control rooms and deploying snow clearance machines of main highways as both the control rooms and as wells as snow clearance machines are buried under few inches of snow when it comes to restoration of traffic on the arterial roads and power and water facilities in villages. What matters the most in snowy days is the free availability of essential commodities but keeping in view the past experiences the delivery of essential services and availability of essential commodities would be hit as usual if heavy snowing as predicted by the weather department is witnessed in valley. The reason for the failure of the government in the delivery of essential services and availability of essential commodities as experienced in the past would be hoarding and black marketing and as usual this is going unchecked throughout the year in Kashmir.
Unless and until the government does not restore the routine practice of deploying ministers to oversee the working of the winter secretariat and the divisional administration in Kashmir valley, the government’s hype to its decisions on deployment of snow clearing machines and availability of essential commodities is just a publicity stunt but not a serious government initiative required to address the winter woes of people in valley
The department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Distribution is giving wide publicity to the field visits of its market checking squads only during the time when religious festivities are in full swing. The black markets and hoarders make fast bucks only during winter months when Jammu-Srinagar highway blockades blocks the transportation of essentials to valley. Holding review meetings on regulation of the prices of essentials is the cosmetic work divisional administration does during the days of traffic blockades on Jammu-Srinagar highway but the failures of the government in regulation of prices of essential commodities and delivery of essential services are bringing people on roads both in Srinagar city and major towns of Kashmir valley. There was a time when ministers would be deployed on weekly rotational basis during winter months in Srinagar to oversee the availability of essential commodities and delivery of essential services in valley but for the last two years ministers are not deployed on weekly rotational basis to oversee the work winter secretariat is obliged to do address the winter woes of the people in Valley. Unless and until the government does not restore the routine practice of deploying ministers to oversee the working of the winter secretariat and the divisional administration in Kashmir valley, the government’s hype to its decisions on deployment of snow clearing machines and availability of essential commodities is just a publicity stunt but not a serious government initiative required to address the winter woes of people in valley
