Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference has asked the administration to augment its response to the issues faced by people in wake of heavy snowfall across Kashmir decrying its pre-emptive approach to avoid predicaments suffered by people in wake of weather vagaries.
Party president Dr Farooq Abdullah has urged the administration to ensure snow clearance on major routes especially those leading to health facilities, power and water supply, stock and adequate distribution of essential commodities including medicines, LPG, Kerosene and other edibles.
“Prices of air tickets to and from Srinagar have skyrocketed as has been the trend every winter season,” Dr Farooq said adding that uncapped and unregulated air travel prices in our sector has been a long pending issue which authorities need to address immediately.
Meanwhile in a joint statement party’s senior leaders Mubarak Gul, Shameema Firdous, Irfan Shah, Ali Mohammad Dar, Dr Bashir Veeri said the recent snowfall warrants immediate and effective administrative response across Kashmir. “Administration should ensure road connectivity across Kashmir including Shahar- e-Khas areas of Srinagar, including city suburbs. The inter district commute remains affected by the heavy snowfall in wake of the administration’s failure to live up to its obligations. In wake of the closure of main arterials, people living in rural and far-flung areas are finding it difficult to get their patients to hospitals,” they said.
The leaders also impressed upon the administration to ensure price stability of various food items across district Srinagar. They also sought restoration of electricity supply and dewatering of low-lying areas on an immediate basis.
They said that ideally the administration should have established control rooms on the very onset of winter season and come up with a joint inter departmental plan to deal with the weather vagaries during the ongoing winter months, but to our dismay the administration failed to work in that direction.
“Every time it snows; there is a complete breakdown across Kashmir. Shortage of drinking water, power outages, and non availability of essentials like LPG, vegetables, and other food items becomes the order of the day. Compounding the unforeseen problems is the closure of main roads, and inner alleys. Even though the Srinagar city center received a few inches of snowfall, it has become a cesspool,” they said urging the divisional administration to mitigate the issues faced by people.
