Interior roads still snowbound in Srinagar

Srinagar, Dec 29: Normal life continues to be hit in the summer capital due to waterlogging and snow-covered interior roads.

As the snow was cleared from the main roads of Srinagar, residents decried that many link roads are still under snow. This is giving a tough time to commuters and pedestrians.

“Now these link roads are getting cleared either by shoveling snow or melting. Residents of these areas have to navigate link roads amid heaps of snow, which is also risky,” said a local from Downtown.

“This snowfall showed how ill-planned work is going on in Maharaj Gunj and other Downtown areas. The manholes are open, and many people have fallen in them along with vehicles during the past two days. When the snow clearing machines came, they could not clear the snow properly due to cobblestone work, and rather, the lanes got damaged. This has become a headache for the traders here, and we appeal to authorities to fix these manholes and ensure well-planned work,” said Ayaz Zehgeer from Beopar Mandal .

Officials from SMC said that snow-clearing operations have been in full swing since Saturday morning.

“Majority of the roads were cleared by Saturday noon itself. There are many lanes where machinery cannot reach, and manual snow clearance operations were deployed there. Snow was also cleared from Srinagar outskirts like Hazratblal and adjoining areas,” said the official.

Meanwhile, residents from several areas complained about drinking water scarcity. Residents from Chacho Mohalla Dal interiors protested against the unavailability of drinking water amid snowfall. “We are suffering for want of drinking water,” they said.

Residents from various Downtown areas also resented the scarce water supply in their areas.

“We have been suffering for months, and since the snow, it has added to our miseries. We have been reaching out to officials but to no avail. Our elderly, patients, and children are suffering, and we are unable to carry out important home chores. We appeal to authorities to deploy water tankers in the areas till the supply is fully restricted,” said a female protestor.

Amid the snow, the traders from Downtown appealed to authorities to take measures for ensuring safety of pedestrians. They said they are facing a lot of issues amid slippery roads and open manholes. Traders from Beopar Mandal Maharaj Gunj said that snow was not properly cleared from cobblestone lanes, which created a lot of issues.