KL Report
SRINAGAR
Opposition parties have criticized government for getting buried under ‘few inches’ of snow.
PDP expressed concern over the deteriorated state of affairs in Kashmir due to the fresh snowfall. Tariq Hameed Karra said though the snow is not something new to place like Kashmir, but the NC-led government has always made people suffer badly, on account of its inefficiency and insensitivity, over the last five years.
Karra said the people are presently suffering throughout the Valley on various fronts particularly power, water and other essential commodities and the government is nowhere seen to tackle the situation, which has resulted into chaos like situation. He said though it is not time to do politicking at a time when the political stalwart of the state, Syed Ali Shah Geelani is seriously ill, but the party has been receiving frantic calls from every nook and corner of Kashmir about the terrible situation on the ground, which has literally thrown life out of gear. And, the government, he accused, is no way in mood to minimize the soreness of people, which speaks loud about its callousness and arrogant attitude.
Accusing the government of turning blind eye to the prior weather warnings, he said had there been strategies and plans in place to tackle the emerging situation, things would not have gone worst, as it is presently. He said the entire Valley has been plunged into complete darkness and even the essential services like hospitals are badly hit resulting into huge hardships to the patients. “In such a situation the government should have started the gas turbine to feed the hospitals, but it is not done,” said Karra adding PDP, during its tenure in 2004, when the Valley witnessed heaviest snowfall, restored the power supply in record eight hours.
Karra said all the major roads networks are yet to be clear of the snow, which has added to the people’s woes. He said patients are unable to reach the hospitals due to snow bound roads, and there has been no effort yet to clear the roads. Paying homage to the people, who lost their lives due to the snowfall, Karra said there are people still trapped in snow avalanches in the South Kashmir and immediate efforts should be made to evacuate them.
In Srinagar, according to Karra roads are heavily flooded and it has turned into a serious affair for people, which exposes the government claims of being serious about the city. Demanding immediate dewatering of the city roads, Karra said if it is not done on war footing basis, it will become life threatening in the days to come in.
CPI (M) leader and lawmaker Mohammad Yousuf Tarigmai also castigated the administration for its ill preparedness to receive the expected snowfall as was already predicted by weatherman. “Tall claims made by the authorities about their alertness have been deflated by the massive power break-down, road blockades, damages to water supply lines, scarcity of ration, water logging and other difficulties faced by the people in Kashmir,” Tarigmai said.
Tarigami said that although a heavy snowfall is not something new to the state of J&K, given its climatic conditions and topography, but the administration seems resistant to change its rusty work culture despite the tall claims made by every successive government for the last over five decades.
Referring to the problems caused to the people by the latest snowfall resulting into massive power breakdown which has plunged the entire valley into total darkness, Tarigami asked the administration to expedite the restoration of power supply in the valley especially Srinagar city where the people have been reeling under biting cold in absence of alternative heating arrangements. “Most of the areas in north, south and central Kashmir are yet to see the electricity and snow clearance from the roads”, Tarigami said wondering that with a few inches of snow the entire administration in Srinagar especially the Municipal Corporation has come to a grinding halt.
