Snowfall throws life out of gear in Bandipora

Bandipora, Feb 19: Life in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district was disrupted due to snowfall and incessant rains on Monday.

While the district’s upper reaches including Gurez Valley received moderate to heavy snowfall, the plains were drenched in incessant rains, which continued till late evening.

In Gurez Valley’s Dawar region, locals complained that the power supply was snapped.

The area’s 1600 households who were connected to the power grid via a 33KV 69-km transmission line maintained by Sub Transmission Division Ganderbal of the Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited (KPDCL) complained that they had been without electricity since Sunday evening when the snow began to fall in the region.

The Gurez-Bandipora road was already closed while Razdan Top recorded over 4 feet of snow.

The Tulail-Dawar Road was also closed after the fresh snowfall.

Locals complained that the Power Development Department (PDD) was resorting to unscheduled power cuts, making life difficult.

The residents of Gamroo, Arin, Plan, Ajas, Kehnoosa, and areas in Sumbla and Hajin said that they were not getting power supply as per the given schedule.

Executive Engineer PDD, Bandipora, Hafeez-ur-Rehman confirmed that the 33 KV line from Bandipora to Dawar had developed faults due to which the power supply was not available.

The uphill villagers of Vewan, Chandaji, Aragam, and a few other villagers complained that the roads in their areas had either not been cleared or were connected very late.

Shabir Ahmad of Vewan said that the roads had not been cleared since the previous snowfall and feared that the fresh snow would further increase their problems.

Reacting to non-cleared roads in Vewan, PMGSY Executive Engineer, Bandipora, Muhammad Hussain told Greater Kashmir that the reason was the road not being blacktopped.

“In case we move machinery to clear the snow it will cause immeasurable damage to the road which is not blacktopped,” he said.