Powerless valley freezes in dark

The snowfall had stopped but roads leading to Uri and Tangdhar were closed for the second consecutive today. And as the administration is st...

The snowfall had stopped but roads leading to Uri and Tangdhar were closed for the second consecutive today. And as the administration is still in inertia, the 10 inches of snow have disrupted normal life in the valley, which was powerless for the second day today.

Essential services in the twin districts of Baramulla and Kupwara are paralysed as well due to lack of electricity and severe shortage of potable water. Sub Divisional Magistrate SDM, Uri, Bashir Ahmad told The Indian Express that the Beacon was trying to clear the road, quake-hit Uri8217;s only link to the valley and closed since the last 48 hours. Only some light vehicles could pass this evening as the Srinagar-Uri Road was closed at Sheeri, he added.

The Beacon, however, says the road is open. 8220;The Uri Road is open for one-way traffic,8221; says Brigadier Dasaka of Beacon. 8220;We have opened the road till Uri; from there, it is still closed and we will open it by tomorrow,8221; he added.

However, residents of Uri said that the road was not open to vehicles. 8220;We have shortage of essential supplies here,8221; says Firdous Ahmad Khan of Uri. 8220;There are hardly 12 inches of snow, and the government has failed to open the road even after two days. The snow has stopped. If God would not have been merciful, there would have been another disaster,8221; he adds.

The Uri administration says there is acute shortage of timber and cooking gas. 8220;We have no electricity. I visited many villages where people staying in tin sheds were facing acute shortage of timber and cooking gas,8221; added Ahmad.

Even as 48 hours have passed, most villages in north Kashmir are still cut off with their tehsil headquarters. The road leading to Tangdhar is closed as well due to 7 feet of snow at Sadhna Top. 8220;We have cleared the trunk roads in the district,8221; says Deputy Commissioner, Kupwara, Abdul Majid Khanday. 8220;All other roads are still closed. They will be cleared soon. Biggest problem of the district is the shortage of electricity and drinking water,8221; he added.

As Tangdhar town had heavy snowfall 2.5 feet, some make-shift sheds constructed by the quake-hit people had collapsed, he added further. Srinagar, which received less than 12 inches of snow, was paralysed as well due to official laxity.

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The city was without electricity for the whole day and roads were open only for one-way traffic.

Azad praises administration for 8216;quick reaction8217;

SRINAGAR: Though most villages were cut off from tehsils for the second day, Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad praised the divisional administration today for reacting 8220;quickly8221; to the situation. The divisional administration had done good work and within 24 hours of the snowfall, district headquarters were connected to the Summer Capital, he said. The chief minister, who was in the valley today, said that power supply would be restored by today evening, and ample stocks of essential commodities were dumped in the valley to meet any crisis. People of the valley need not worry, he added. North Kashmir is without any electricity for the third day.