Heavy snowfall disrupt normal life in Kashmir

Srinagar, Feb 19: Heavy snowfall in several parts of the Kashmir Valley on Monday disrupted normal life, affecting road connectivity and electricity, especially in northern areas of Kashmir, which received substantial snowfall.
Scores of people expressed resentment against the administration for failing to clear snow from the roads in various parts of the valley, particularly in the heavily affected northern districts.
A senior government official told Rising Kashmir that they have mobilized personnel and machinery early in the morning to clear snow off the roads in the Kashmir Valley. However, due to continuous snowfall, the roads were repeatedly blocked.
The officer said that considering the circumstances, they have prioritized clearing important roads, including those leading to hospitals, and deployed dozens of machines for the snow clearance operation.
Residents from various areas of the Kashmir Valley, including Srinagar city, reported unscheduled power cuts since morning. Meanwhile, people in the northern districts revealed that they have been without electricity since morning.
Expressing anger against the Power Development Department, consumers said that despite the department’s claims of being prepared for heavy snowfall, the ground reality was different.
Farooq Ahmad Mir, a resident of the northern town of Handwara, told Rising Kashmir that authorities failed to clear the roads, and there was no electricity available since morning. During the season’s first snowfall, there were no inconveniences, but this time, despite the Meteorological Department’s prediction of heavy to the heaviest snowfall, people faced problems.
The Power Development Department admitted faults in various areas and stated that they had deployed personnel since morning to restore electricity in the affected areas.
Principal Secretary of the Power Development Department, H. Rajesh Prasad, told Rising Kashmir that nine feeders had faults in the morning, and personnel were mobilized to rectify them. He mentioned that efforts were underway to restore power supply and attributed the delay to the heavy snowfall. He assured that electricity in the affected areas would be restored by tomorrow.
KU postpones all exams in view of inclement weather
Srinagar, Feb 19: The University of Kashmir has announced the postponement of all examinations scheduled for February 19th and 20th due to the prevailing inclement weather conditions across the Kashmir valley.
An official notification issued by the University of Kashmir stated that due to the prevailing weather situation, all the examinations scheduled for the 19th and 20th of February 2024 are postponed.”
“Fresh dates for the conduct of postponed papers shall be communicated separately,” it read.