Srinagar, November 30: Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee vice president and former MLC G N Monga said that with winter setting and minimum temperature plunging to freezing level, frequent power cuts have compounded the problems of common man.
In a statement issued to Kashmir News Bureau G N Monga while hitting out at the J&K administration over its inability to provide even basic amenities to the people of the Valley in this harsh winter said, “The frequent power cuts, even in those areas which have metered connections and were assured round-the-clock supply in the past, are causing problems for the residents as night temperatures have already slipped to sub-zero levels. Within days of Durbar Move offices shifting to Jammu, the Valley plunged into darkness.”
The Congress leader said that when posh areas of Srinagar city are facing the worst power cuts in this harsh winter, one can imagine the situation in rural areas.
“Power cuts have also left Kashmir’s Covid-19 patients gasping. The administration has miserably failed on every concealable scale to provide basic amenities to the people,” Monga said.
He further added that the travel along the 270-km so-called all-weather Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, which connects Kashmir with the rest of the country, has increasingly become a nightmarish experience for people.
“The nation highway remains shut for days due to landslides, and other weather related occurrences. Even if the road is officially open, it’s dilapidated condition, bottlenecks, shooting of stones at places and heavy traffic movement cause frequent and often severe gridlocks. Both passenger and goods vehicles remain stranded along the highway for days. The road has also become a deathtrap as a fairly large number of travellers do get killed routinely in mishaps,” Monga rued.
The Congress leader said that the frequent closure of the highway has also resulted in huge economic losses in the Valley where scarcity of essential commodities including food-grains and gasoline is a usual phenomenon particularly in winter.
“In the absence of the elected Government, people in J&K are facing the worst crisis. It is the responsibility of the administration to provide basic facilities to the people in this harsh winter,” he demanded. (KNB)