Ready to tackle fresh snowfall: Kitchloo
SRINAGAR: In the backdrop of fresh forecast of snow and rainfall, Government Thursday said that it was prepared to meet every kind of challenge and has extended the high danger avalanche warning to more areas in the higher reaches and asked the people not to venture on to steep slopes.
Three days after a heavy snowfall brought normal life to a grinding halt in the Kashmir Valley, National Conference ministers Ali Muhammad Sagar and Sajad Ahmed Kitchloo Thursday refuted the allegations of Peoples Democratic Party that Government was buried under 8 inches of snow.
Both the ministers said that there movement was restricted because of the Model Code of Conduct that is in vogue in Jammu and Kashmir. We cant help people and provide relief to them. We cant use state machinery to take people out of trouble as you know our movement is restricted by Election Commission, Sagar told Srinagar based news gathering agency CNS adding that despite this the government is doing its best to relieve people from the miseries.
Sagar castigated PDP for criticising the government and said that all the ministers and legislators are in touch with the people while administration at district levels was working hard to clear roads and restore electricity in every party of the Valley. I admit that people faced a lot of inconvenience because of the heavy snowfall. But, we did our best and utilized all our resources to take people out of trouble.
He admitted that certain parts of South Kashmir including Anantnag, Kulgam, Pulwama and Shopian are without electricity supply and locals especially opposition party complained about the absence of administration to deal with their problems. This is not true. I along with Sajad Kitchloo are in touch with administration and people and we have used at least 43 fire tenders to drain out the water from the roads and lanes. All the departments including Power Development Department and R&B are working day in and day out to overcome the difficulties that people are facing.
Minister of State for Home Affairs Sajad Kitchloo said that he visited a number of areas including Kishtwar and took stock of the situation.
Air traffic has been resumed and efforts are on to open Srinagar-Jammu highway. Almost all the roads have been cleared and there is no dearth of essential commodities, he said adding that some parts of Kishtwar including Marwah, Paddar and Wadwan were still without electricity and efforts were on to restore the same. Kitchloo further said that 50 people who were trapped in Marwah Kishtwar were evacuated by using government chopper.
He said that after the prediction made by MeT department about the fresh snow and rainfall the government has issued a fresh high danger avalanche warning for hilly areas of Uri, Tangdhar, Ramban, Doda, Kishtwar, Poonch, Rajouri, Pulwama, Shopian, Kulgam, Budgam, Ganderbal, Baramulla, Kupwara, Bandipora and Kargil. He said people living in these snowbound areas have been requested to take precautions and not to venture on steep slopes in coming days.
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