SRINAGAR: After much wait the dry spell in the valley of Kashmir ended on 12 February with the higher reaches receiving fresh snowfall while the plains were lashed by rains and very little snow. What immediately followed from rural to urban areas of Kashmir was the gross failures of administration .Traffic jams choked the length and breadth of Kashmir with Srinagar city converted into a traffic hell and commuters suffering a lot of pain in reaching from one destination to another.
The electricity disappeared from many areas for long durations within no time thus putting the households to lot of difficulties and sufferings .In many areas of South Kashmir which received snowfall from 7 to 3 inches the residents complained that snow has not been cleared and electricity situation has also worsened. Sane voices opined on diverse platforms the administration for being a failure and “making people suffer due to its callous and insensitive approach in dealing with the very little snowfall.
Manzoor Ahmad, a student stated – “Just a few inches of snow throws life out of gear which is a system failure due to lack of accountability at the both bottom and top management level of the administration. Since yesterday we are witnessing roads and streets getting choked due to severe traffic jams , electricity also disappeared from many places within no time. The water logging and drainage failures worsened the situation for people and created hell for masses.” The ground pulse is that “It is a matter of great worry and shame that the entire system of governance gets buried every time under few inches of snow.”