SRINAGAR: Deputy Chief Minister, Surinder Choudhary, today convened a review meeting at the Civil Secretariat, Srinagar, to assess the post-snowfall situation across Kashmir region besides reviewing the availability of essential services in the region.
Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Anshul Garg, deliberated on the overall progress of snow clearance measures and restoration of essential services in the affected areas.
The Deputy Chief Minister stressed that a coordinated and proactive approach among all departments is essential to effectively manage the post-snowfall situation. He directed the Deputy Commissioners to remain on their toes and ensure unhindered availability of essential services, including power, water supply, healthcare, food supplies and road connectivity.
He instructed that snow clearance operations be intensified, with priority given towards ensuring two-lane road clearance wherever possible, particularly on major roads and the National Highway, to facilitate smooth to-and-fro traffic and normal public movement. He assessed the district-wise status of snow clearance and directed the officers to strictly follow the directions issued by the MLAs, MPs, the Divisional Commissioner and district administrations.
Reviewing the power sector, the Deputy Chief Minister directed the KPDCL to maintain adequate buffer stock of transformers and ensure prompt restoration of electricity in affected areas. He also emphasized that adequate water supply be maintained, with water tankers deployed in vulnerable and affected localities.
On food and health services, the Deputy Chief Minister directed the concerned departments to plug any loopholes in supply chains and ensure sufficient availability of essentials. He asked for maintaining cleanliness in hospitals and ensuring uninterrupted medical services.
The Srinagar Municipal Corporation was directed to remain fully prepared for sanitation and allied services.
The Director, Airport Authority of India, informed the meeting that the Srinagar Airport was made functional within eight hours and around 11,200 tourists have arrived in the Valley yesterday. The BRO informed that snow clearance operations are underway in various areas including Pahalgam.
The Deputy Chief Minister emphasized the need for continuous inter-departmental communication, improvement in tanker services wherever required with timely updates to the concerned ministries. He appreciated the collective efforts of all the departments and called for sustained coordination to facilitate early restoration of normal life across the Kashmir region.
The meeting was attended by MLA Lolab, Qaysar Jamshaid Lone, Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir; Inspector General of Police, Kashmir Zone; Deputy Commissioners of Kashmir; Brigadier Chirag from BRO, Managing Director, KPDCL (through VC); SSP Traffic, Commissioner, Srinagar Municipal Corporation; Chief Engineers KPDCL, Jal Shakti, PMGSY, MED and PWD (R&B); Directors of Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs, Health Services, Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Tourism and Urban Local Bodies besides Director Airport Authority of India, Srinagar.
Besides, Regional Officers of NHAI/NHIDCL; Chief Engineer, BRO; Chief Area Manager, Northern Railways and other senior officers and officials also attended the meeting.
Meanwhile, continuing outreach to snow-affected areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary undertook an extensive tour of the snow-bound areas of Ramban district to assess the post-snowfall situation and review the progress of ongoing restoration works.
During the visit, the Deputy Chief Minister chaired detailed review meetings with the heads of concerned departments at Ramban. He reviewed snow clearance operations, restoration of road connectivity, essential services, and the status of ongoing development works across the district.
The Deputy Chief Minister was accompanied by MLA Banihal Sajjad Shaheen, MLA Ramban Arjun Singh Raju, and other public representatives. Deputy Commissioner Ramban Mohammad Alyas Khan, SSP Ramban Arun Gupta, SSP Traffic NHW Raja Adil Hameed, Chief Engineers of PWD, PMGSY and Mechanical Department, along with senior district and sectoral officers, attended the meetings.
The Deputy Chief Minister visited several snow-affected areas including Banihal, Batote, Patnitop and adjoining localities to assess ground conditions and ongoing restoration efforts.
The Deputy Chief Minister fixed timelines for restoring road connectivity on all snow-affected roads and directed the Chief Engineers to personally monitor restoration works being carried out by their respective departments to ensure timely resumption of traffic. He also instructed the Chief Engineer, Mechanical Department, to submit a detailed plan for deployment of required machinery and to depute an officer at Ramban for smooth functioning of the department.
The Deputy Chief Minister reviewed department-wise and area-wise progress of snow clearance, restoration of essential services, and road connectivity. He issued strict directions to ensure uninterrupted power and water supply, smooth availability of food grains, petrol, diesel and LPG, and effective healthcare services across the district.
The MLAs raised various public issues and demands, upon which the Deputy Chief Minister issued directions on several matters and assured that remaining demands of public interests would be taken up on priority.
Emphasising public convenience and safety, the Deputy Chief Minister directed all departments to work in close coordination and adopt a time-bound approach to mitigate hardships faced by residents due to snowfall. He stressed that all available manpower and machinery must be pressed into service to ensure swift and effective restoration.
Earlier, the Deputy Chief Minister also inspected various areas of Banihal to assess ongoing snow clearance and availability of essential services across all snow bound areas.
Earlier, the Deputy Commissioner briefed the Deputy Chief Minister on the restoration measures undertaken by various departments across the district.
During the tour, the Deputy Chief Minister also interacted with public delegations, patiently heard their grievances, and assured them that all genuine issues would be addressed at the earliest in coordination with the concerned departments.
