Early snowfall in November this year saw government grappling with the difficulties coming its way in restoration of the essential services and government’s preparedness to face eventualities in mid winter had come into question keeping in view the poor coordination among the departments tasked the job of the delivery of essential services during winter in Kashmir valley almost a month before the commencement of winter. Though this time the response of the government to the challenges thrown up by a heavy snowfall was better but administrative capacity to respond to the challenges was exposed on on Sadhna top on Kupwara-Tanghdar road where a woman who died on way from Kupwara to Tanghdar could not be taken to her ancestral village even after 25 hours and Ninety five (95) passengers stranded on the road could not be also taken to their destinations.
The fact remains that by all standards of administrative understandabilities the district administration should not have even allowed the Sumo that got trapped in snow at Sadhna top to move from Kupwara to road as the snowing in the area had already started and almost six inches of snow had already covered the road. The Kupwara civil administration can’t evade queries whether it is the issue of allowing the Sumo to move from Kupwara to Tanghdar or the responsibility of taking the body of a woman who died on Sadhna top to her ancestral village. Showing such a dereliction of duty in snow bound areas speaks volumes about the non seriousness of the top authorities of both the divisional administration of Kashmir in responding to the challenges thrown up by snowing during winter in Kashmir.
Though the reason cited for the failure of the Kupwara district administration in taking the body of the woman and Ninety Five stranded passengers to desired destinations in Tanghdar was the non-stop snowing in the area but district administration leaving it for the BEACON authorities to come to the rescue of the stranded passengers as alleged by the locals of the area is absolutely an intolerable and irresponsible excuse despite the fact that the responsibility to oversee the traffic movement on Kuwara-Tanghdar road lies on the BEACON but not district administration Kupwara. Since the issue of taking the body of a woman from Sadhna top to her village was not to be looked through the prism of administrative jurisdiction but demanded a humanistic response the district administration Kupwara could have taken a lead role in taking the body of the woman to her ancestral village in Tanghdar and the ninety five stranded passengers to desired destinations. The fact remains that by all standards of administrative understandabilities the district administration should not have even allowed the Sumo that got trapped in snow at Sadhna top to move from Kupwara to road as the snowing in the area had already started and almost six inches of snow had already covered the road. The Kupwara civil administration can’t evade queries whether it is the issue of allowing the Sumo to move from Kupwara to Tanghdar or the responsibility of taking the body of a woman who died on Sadhna top to her ancestral village. Showing such a dereliction of duty in snow bound areas speaks volumes about the non seriousness of the top authorities of both the divisional administration of Kashmir in responding to the challenges thrown up by snowing during winter in Kashmir.
