Snowfall Aftermath: CS takes stock of situation

JAMMU: In view of the incessant downpour and heavy snowfall in Kashmir, Chief Secretary BVR Subrahmanyam this evening took stock of the situation and called for urgent measures to for restoration of road connectivity and electricity supply in the affected areas.
The Chief Secretary has asked the Divisional Administrations of Kashmir and Jammu divisions and the concerned district administrations to immediately establish Joint Control Rooms at the divisional and the district levels across the Kashmir division and the winter zone of Jammu division to deal with the situation arising due to the snowfall.
Chief Secretary directed the administration to put in added efforts in mitigating the difficulties of the people and meeting their requirements in view of the inclement weather conditions.
“Our effort at two key fronts, restoration of power supply and road connectivity, have to be meted with full strength and with a sense of urgency,” he said and added that the Administration’s efficiency will be tested in ensuring the power supply and clearing of snow from the roads especially in view of the fact that thousands of students are presently appearing for Board examinations.
The Chief Secretary directed continuous and overnight snow clearance of highways; inter-district roads and connecting arteries without any break.
He also called for deployment of enough dewatering pumps to ensure speedy dewatering of the inundated areas. He said the PHE Department should ensure that there is no disruption of drinking water supply.
The Chief Secretary also called for taking measures for effective regulation of traffic to ensure that people are not put to any inconvenience.
He took an appraisal about the status of snow clearance and passenger movement on the National Highway as hundreds of Durbar Move employees are stranded in Kashmir due to disruption of road and air traffic.