Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference on Saturday impressed upon the incumbent J&K administration to rise upto the post snowfall exigencies.
In a statement Party’s Members of Parliament Muhammad Akbar Lone and Hasnain Masoodi have asked the divisional administration of Kashmir to come to the rescue of people in the upper regions of North, south and central Kashmir, where inclement weather and heavy downpour have taken a heavy toll on the lives of people. They said that the heavy snowfall in the upper reaches has severely damaged the vegetative and fruit-bearing parts of the orchids. “The impact of the heavy downpour, the MPs noted will impact the yield in the coming years; therefore making it imperative for the administration to step in to provide succor to the affected. No sooner the weather condition improves, the divisional administration should constitute revenue teams and depute them to access the losses incurred by orchardists so that the quantum of the compensation is worked out and distributed among the affected immediately,” they said.
The party MPs further stated that the heavy snowfall has disturbed electricity supply in various upper regions and underlying areas of South, North and central Kashmir districts. They noted that various far-flung areas have plunged into darkness due to the uprooting of electricity poles and tripping of transmission lines.
“Scores of water supply schemes dependent on electricity have come to a halt too. “Water supply in various snow-bound areas has also been affected. The Public Health Engineering Department should make diesel generators operational at many such places in north, south and central Kashmir areas. Water tankers if pressed into service can go a long way in meeting the demand until the electric transmission is restored,” they added.
The MPs also demanded restoration of road connectivity in sound-bound areas in upper regions of Kashmir. “As road connectivity stands snapped because of snowfall, people living in upper reaches of the valley continue to suffer many hardships. Patients, expecting mothers and children are the worst sufferers. It is expected that the administration will swing its men and machinery into action and restore the connectivity to such areas. Damages to culverts, bridges and roads should also be fixed on priority basis as well,” they said.
The problem of waterlogging, they rued is widespread, particularly in low lying areas of Srinagar. “Many low lying areas in cities and towns of the valley have been inundated. The accumulation of slush and water has affected the commute. The concerned municipal authorities are yet to start the required dewatering at such places,” they rued while demanding speedy dewatering of low-lying areas of Srinagar and other low-lying areas across Kashmir.
They rued that during previous winters, the local administration had gone missing on ground and had come under severe criticism for its failure to clear snow from roads, which had brought life to a standstill in the valley. They hoped that the administration would have learnt from its previous mistakes. “We hope our please acts as a wakeup call to the admin who we believe won’t leave the people to fend for themselves,” they added.
