Srinagar- The Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) made a public plea on Thursday, urging people to help the civic body remove snow off the lanes and by-lanes in the city, in case the valley experiences snowfall in the days to come.
To avoid impeding the process of clearing snow, the civic body also urged the residents to keep all lanes and by-lanes within their localities free of vehicles.
“People in western countries help the workforce maintain their localities, but the situation here is entirely different. People in our valley always look for the SMC to clear snow from the lanes and by-lanes, which I think is not a good habit,” Commissioner SMC, Athar Amir Khan, told Kashmir Observer.
Lanes and by-lanes are filled with carelessly parked cars, making it impossible for machines to navigate. Keep lanes free of vehicles at least in winters and avoid parking your cars in or next to the lanes. Make sure there are no obstacles in the way of the manpower shoveling snow, Athar added.
SMC, he said, confronts enormous hurdles when it comes to clearing snow off the approximately 7000 lanes and by-lanes in the Srinagar district.
However, the Commissioner SMC claimed that men and machinery have been kept on standby to deal with any impending challenges.
How is it practicable for workers to remove snow overnight in a city with about 7000 lanes and by-lanes? Snow clearance is done on priority; snow is first cleared from main roads, and then from the roads leading to critical infrastructure including hospitals and police stations, Khan said responding to a question about why the SMC consistently delays clearing snow from residential areas.
Men and machinery, He said, have been kept ready for snow clearance in the city, while municipal level control rooms in the Srinagar city, manned by Joint Commissioner SMC have also been set up. He said the city has been divided into four zones with zonal control rooms.
“We have around 55 machines kept on standby including 45 new machines and 10 old, and the deployment plan of these machines has already been drafted. Drivers have been directed to be ready for any impending challenge. They have been asked to work in double shifts,” added the Commissioner SMC.
SMC, he said, will protect the road from any harm by employing snow cats that have an exclusive material layer. In order to meet the upcoming winter challenges, Khan said the civic body has a workforce of 2,800 personnel.
“Conservancy supplies including deicing salt have also been purchased and placed in all central offices and other locations. Certain areas also need to be dewatered, therefore the city’s deep drain network has been cleaned up and 85 permanent dewatering stations have been kept available. In addition,125 mobile dewatering machines have been installed to avoid blockages. These units will be used as per need, while the de-silting process has also been completed,” he added.
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