Rehan Qayoom Mir
Srinagar, Dec 10 : As Kashmir awaits season’s first major snowfall, 45 snow-clearance machines are on standby to cover 35 major routes spanning 1,634 km under the jurisdiction of the Mechanical Engineering Department (MED) in Srinagar.
According to the details available with the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) Deputy Commissioner (DC) Srinagar, Akshay Labroo, along with SMC Commissioner Faz Lul Haseeb, conducted an extensive citywide inspection to assess winter preparedness and snow-clearance readiness.
The officers reviewed the functioning of control rooms, deployment of machinery, and coordination mechanisms during visits to key facilities, including the MED Control Room at Shalteng, the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) at HMT and the SMC Control Room at JAKLINE Yard.
The DC and the SMC Commissioner were accompanied by senior officials, including Chief Engineers, Joint Commissioners, Chief Planning Officers, Superintending Engineers of R&B, MED, SMC and other line department officials.
Both the officers took firsthand stock of ground-level arrangements.
At the MED Shalteng complex, officers were informed that 45 snow-clearance machines are ready to cover 35 major routes spanning 1,634 km under MED’s jurisdiction.
Both the DC and the SMC Commissioner stressed round-the-clock functioning of control rooms, close inter-departmental coordinationand timely deployment of men and machinery to ensure uninterrupted essential services.
They also urged field teams to remain alert and responsive, ensuring timely assistance to the public during weather-related emergencies.
During their visit to the ICCC at HMT, officers reviewed its operational readiness for real-time monitoring and emergency coordination, interacting with teams from multiple departments working round-the-clock to oversee winter arrangements.
Later, both the officers inspected the SMC Control Room at JAKLINE Yard, assessing the availability of equipment and preparedness of snow-clearance units to respond swiftly to any snowfall-related disruptions.
As already reported by KNO, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Anshul Garg, had earlier said the Valley is “fully prepared” for the harsh winter, with comprehensive plans for snow clearance, essential supplies and emergency response in place—(KNO)
