Indian Meteorological Department has predicted rains and snowfall across the Kashmir Valley this weekend-14th November and 15 November. Accordingly the J&K Government has issued a weather advisory and activated its men and machinery and asked them to stay alert. The Government has asked the departments of Mechanical Engineering Department, Jal Shakti Department, Kashmir Power Development Corporation, R&B PMGSY, Urban Local Bodies and SDRF to keep their manpower and equipments in the state of readiness in their respective areas of responsibility in order to meet any eventuality/exigency. The Disaster Response Force has also directed its Controllers to keep all the manpower deployed with them along with equipment in a state of readiness at their respective district headquarters in order to meet any eventuality or exigency and to conduct rescue operations/assistance to local administration if needed. This has been a routine communication following any weather advisory but every time the accumulation of a few inches of snow exposes the governments’ claims of readiness. All the essential services are disrupted, especially the power supply. This time the government needs to be more responsive and take adequate measures to ensure that essential services are not disrupted. The Power Development Department needs to devise a plan in such a way that even if there is any disruption owing to heavy snowfall, the same is restored within a short span of time. There was ample time for the PDD to strengthen its infrastructure, especially carriers as claimed by its higher authorities all these months. How much this department has worked to deal with tough weather conditions, the claims will be proved right or wrong this weekend as there is prediction of snowfall.
