Shopian: In many Shopian villages that remain out of bounds due to snow accumulated on roads, people have come out with shovels to clear the snow themselves. In Kadgam, Dubpora, Barbug and adjoining areas, locals started clearing the snow after the administration failed to do so for the fourth consecutive day on Wednesday.

Shopian district has witnessed four to five feet of snowfall since Sunday. There are only eight snow clearance machines for the district, among which two are of no use due to the depth of snow.

A local from Trenz Village said that the authorities have not paid any importance to bringing more and better machines for snow clearance work in the district.

Majority of the village areas in the district are still without electricity though the water woes have ended in most areas.

According to an official, no road except the Pulwama to Shopian road is in a condition that transport can be resumed on it. He said that more roads will be cleared during the night.

Deputy Commissioner Shopian Choudhary Muhammad Yasin told Kashmir Reader that all the priority-first roads are through for one- way traffic. “We have deployed machinery from Mughal Road division as well and during night hours widening of the snow clearance will be carried out. It will take us one more day and tonight to make all roads available for transport,” he said.

He requested the public to cooperate with the authorities and said that the snowfall in Shopian was much heavier than in any other district in Kashmir, even higher than in Kulgam, which is why it was taking so much time to restore the roads.

On power supply he said that till Wednesday morning eight receiving stations were without supply, among which supply on six has been restored and work on the other high-tension and low-tension lines will be carried out on Thursday.

Raashid Hassan