Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) Vice President and former MLC G N Monga here on Wednesday said that the administration has left people in Kashmir in a severe crisis after heavy snowfall and extreme cold this winter.
In a statement issued here on Wednesday he said despite predictions about heavy snowfall and severe cold in advance, authorities completely failed to prepare to deal with the situation.
“More than three weeks after the major snowfall, remote areas of Kashmir still remain inaccessible. The administration could not even clear roads fully in Srinagar and other district headquarters for more than 10-days,” Monga said. “The patients, particularly pregnant women, and those with cancer and other severe ailments have been left to fend for themselves.”
Similarly, he said, there has been acute drinking water shortage in several areas of the Valley forcing residents, particularly women, to walk long distances to find potable water.
The Congress leader added that the unscheduled power cuts in this bone chilling winter has only added to the woes of the common people in Kashmir. “Instead of providing hassle free power to consumers in harsh winter, the Power Development Department is sending inflated bills to them, worsening the situation further,” he rued.
The JKPCC Vice President said that the administration has miserably failed in handling the highway crisis and has left thousands of people stranded on either side of the highway in lurch. “The continuous closure of the national highway has triggered a crisis like situation in Kashmir and on the highway with stranded people finding it difficult to withstand bone chilling cold,” he said.
The Congress leader said nearly eight million population in Kashmir which is dependent on the highway has been left to fend for themselves by the administration which is unfortunate.
“The claims of the administration, saying they are ready to tackle any kind of situation, got exposed on the ground with snowfall in early January leaving the common people to lurch at large. It is high time that the administration comes out of lethargic mode and ensures better coordination between various departments especially those providing essential services,” Monga demanded.
