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Category: ENVIRONMENT

Published: 29 December 2015

•  Altaf directs MED to be in a state of readiness

JAMMU: Minister for Public Works (R&B), Floriculture and Gardens & Parks Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari today held a meeting on the preparedness of the department on snow clearance in State. During the meeting, Mr. Bukhari was informed that Mechanical Engineering Department, Kashmir has an existing fleet of 111 snow clearance machines. The Minister, however, directed the officers to deploy 14 additional snow clearance machines to strengthen the existing fleet of snow clearance machines in Kashmir province. These additional machines shall be placed at the disposal of Chief Engineer Mechanical Engineering Department, Kashmir which will give boost to the snow clearance operation in the Kashmir province.

The Minister also passed on strict instructions that all the Government institutions should be directed not to use JCBs/Tractors for snow clearance. In case of non compliance of these instructions, authorities shall impose penalty including seizure of the machines, besides recovery of the double of the cost of damages caused to the roads on this account.

The Minister directed the Chief Engineer Mechanical Engineering Department to ensure all arrangements including readiness of snow cutter machines ahead of likely snowfalls. He also directed him to keep men and machinery ready so that snow is cleared immediately after the snowfall.

After threadbare discussions it was decided that in view of weather conditions and the safety of passengers, the Mughal Road shall be closed for all vehicular traffic from January 1st, 2016 and the department would take all step to reopen the road by March 15th, 2016. The meeting was attended by Commissioner/Secretary R&B, Floriculture, Gardens & Parks, Chief Engineer Mughal Road, Chief Engineers of Mechanical Engineering Department Kashmir and Jammu.