‘Will take one day more’ to clear lanes of snow: SMC official

‘Will take one day more’ to clear lanes of snow: SMC official

Srinagar: Despite timely prediction of heavy snowfall by the Meteorological (MeT) Department, authorities here in Srinagar were yet to clear many roads and lanes of the city on Wednesday.

Due to slippery road conditions, vehicles were unable to move on the roads. Many people complained during the day that the roads were yet to be cleared of snow by the administration and the municipal corporation.

There was no snow clearance work seen in majority of the interiors in Srinagar’s downtown as well as uptown areas, including in Safa Kadal, Rainawari, Fateh Kadal, Noor Bagh, Kak Sarai, Hawal, Soura, Bemina, Natipora, Chanpora and many other areas.

“One can’t even think of stepping out of home,” said Furkaan Ahmad, a resident of Naikh Bagh.

“We are forced to stay indoors. No men or machinery have been deployed in our area for clearing snow from the lanes and bylanes,” he added.

“It is risky to walk on the road. The roads are slippery and snowed under. There is a risk of accidents,” said Feroz Ahmad, a resident of Bemina.

“We are not able to visit grocery stories for our essential needs. We are confined within the four walls of our house,” he added.

As per an official of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation, there are more than 6,000 lanes in the city and it is quite challenging to clear them all in a short span of time. According to him, there is not enough men and machinery to clear snow from the entire city.

“It will take one more day to clear all the lanes and bylanes of Srinagar city. We deployed 3,000 men with more than 16 JCBs for snow clearance work in the city and also used salt to dissolve frozen layers in the mornings,” the official said.

In a tweet, Mayor of SMC, Junaid Azim Mattu, wrote: “Have asked for four zonal control rooms to be set up immediately for snow-clearance of lanes and by-lanes by SMC. Roads not our jurisdiction. All four control rooms to be led by senior officers.”

Earlier, the district administration had issued an advisory asking citizens to avoid using their cars to allow snow clearing operations to go on without hindrance.

 

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