Srinagar- Srinagar city was left immobilized on Saturday morning as the Srinagar Municipal Corporation failed to clear snow from the lanes following overnight snowfall. Residents woke up to find major thoroughfares and interior roads blanketed with snow, disrupting daily life and halting vehicular movement across the city.
Key areas, including Raj Bagh, Solina, LD Road, Mehjoor Nagar, Wazir Bagh, and Jawahar Nagar, remained inaccessible as snow clearance efforts lagged, leaving even upscale neighborhoods stranded. Interior roads in localities like Rambagh were similarly impassable, forcing residents to remain indoors.
A local resident from Rambagh expressed frustration, stating that vehicles were unable to ply due to the absence of timely snow removal. Gulzar Hammad, a shopkeeper in Solina, lamented, “It’s frustrating to see the authorities unprepared. We’re used to snow here, but this negligence has brought the city to a standstill.”
Sajad Hussain, a commuter stranded near Mehjoor Nagar, shared his ordeal: “I had an urgent appointment, but I’ve been stuck here for hours. This situation is unacceptable and highlights the administration’s failure to act promptly.”
“Snow used to be cleared from the roads shortly after Fajar prayers, but this time even after the sunrise, no snow clearance operation was seen,” wrote a netizen on social media.
Officials from SMC said snow clearance machines, manpower and dewatering pumps were made operational in Srinagar city, while locals from many places in Srinagar said their lanes and bylanes have still not been cleared.
Officials from the SMC said they have been working since last night and are still on the ground clearing the city’s roads. They said the major roads of the city are cleared, and their priority remains hospitals and other important roads.
“43 snow tractors, two BobCats (a small type of JCB used for snow clearance), 127 dewatering pumps, and six big JCBs are operational in the city for snow clearance operations,” an official said, adding that about 2,200 workers are engaged in cleaning the city’s lanes and bylanes.
However, many locals claimed that snow had not been cleared from their lanes and bylanes. “The snowfall has not been cleaned from our area, and the SMC officers have not arrived yet,” said Sahil, a local from Habba Kadal, Srinagar.
Meanwhile, according to an official statement, Dr Owais Ahmed, accompanied by senior officials of the corporation, conducted thorough inspections across several areas on Saturday to assess the ongoing snow clearance and dewatering operations following the snowfall.
During his visits, the SMC Commissioner toured areas such as CBD Lal Chowk, SMHS Hospital, and government housing colonies in Balgarden, Karanagar, Sanat Nagar, Chanapora and the Leprosy Hospital in Bahrar Lal Bazar, along with dewatering stations, the statement said, adding that he engaged with on-site officers and supervisors to evaluate the progress of these operations and identify any challenges faced.
Dr Owais interacted with locals and gathered valuable insights into the effectiveness of the snow clearance and dewatering efforts. He gave on-the-spot directions for prompt snow removal and effective dewatering to safeguard public safety, facilitate transportation, and minimize disruptions to essential services, the SMC said, adding that the Commissioner appreciated the hard work of the corporation’s frontline workers, who play a crucial role in these operations—(with inputs from KNT, KNO)
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