As the Greater Kashmir region witnessed a more than usual amount of snowfall over the weekend, lack of adequate manpower and sufficient resources on highways and primary roads that provide vital access to important medical centers created severe bottlenecks and choc a bloc traffic.
The slight increase in snowfall on Saturday, November 3, couldn’t be dealt with decisively due to lack of adequate crisis planning and preparedness. The situation was further compounded by prolonged delays in restoring infrastructure that ensured supply of electricity to a substantial portion of the civilian population. A lack of crisis management initiative was sorely felt.
The smooth functioning of several utility services, including commutation and electricity, was badly impacted. A large part of the capital city, Srinagar, was brought to a standstill.
Many youngsters after finishing school examinations couldn’t return home until late in the night. Officials at local educational institutions were also severely inconvenienced while conducting these examinations. Talks are already underway to defer exams yet to be conducted to a later date, keeping in mind that winter has just begun and things are only going to get worse.
The state’s disaster management policy does not include snowfall in its list of emergency situations it must address. However, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) has supported the Power Development Department in the past in getting rid of uprooted trees and other hindrances that hamper power and electricity infrastructure.
Insufficient headcount has been the main challenge for the SDRF to deal with, especially in times of such extreme and unfavorable weather. Presently, the SDRF has a staff count of 2000 spread across the state’s 22 districts. Rescue squads of 35-40 were mobilized across the state after the snowfall subsided.