Srinagar: In view of weather forecast of heavy snow and rains, Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti Saturday directed the divisional administration of Kashmir to be in a state of preparedness and responsive to any crisis thrown up by the inclement weather.
The Chief Minister has directed all the concerned Departments like PDD, R&B, MED, ULB, PHE, Health and other Departments to gear up in view of the weather forecast and deploy their men and machinery on the ground beforehand.
She said there should be no delay in snow clearance operations and, as soon as it starts to accumulate, snow clearance machines should be pressed into service so that people do not face any inconvenience. For this, she directed positioning of snow clearance machines at critical spots beforehand so that snow is cleared in a minimum time.
Mehbooba directed the Srinagar Municipal Corporation and Urban LocalBodies to ensure that the interior roads and lanes in the city and major towns of the Valley are cleared of snow on priority and water logged as a result of snow or rains is drained out quickly.
She also directed the PDD authorities to ensure replacement of damaged infrastructure with speed and also put all resources at their command to ensure that minimum cuts are resorted to while supplying electricity to consumers.
Mehbooba Mufti also directed the management of SKIMS and SMHS hospitals to have sufficient stocks of medicine available with them and also at all the district, secondary and tertiary care hospitals besides all the requisite doctors and paramedical staff are deployed at their respective places of working.
The Chief Minister has also directed the Divisional Commissioner, Jammu to put similar measures in place in the areas in the region where heavy rains and snow have been predicted.
Expect Heavy Snowfall From Monday
The Kashmir Valley is bracing up for possible heavy snowfall from early next week. The Met Department has said a western disturbance would affect the state from December 11.Cold wave continued in the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir.
In Ladakh region, Leh was the coldest recorded place in the state. The mercury settled at -13 degrees Celsius. Kargil recorded a low of -8.4 degrees Celsius respectively.
Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, recorded a low of -0.2 degree Celsius. Gulmarg, the famous ski-resort in north Kashmir, recorded a low of zero degrees Celsius.
The other famous resort of Pahalgam registered a minimum temperature of -1.5 degrees Celsius.