Kashmir reels under chill

Three snowfalls in the first three weeks of January have brought life to a standstill in Kashmir. In addition to the chilling winter, there are power cuts of up to 10 hours every day.

This has led to protests in dozens of places in the Kashmir valley. The weather department has predicted that there will be another week of heavy rains and snow, but the government has said it is prepared to deal with it and the National Highway, which was closed more than four times in the past two weeks, would be kept open.

The opposition National Conference and the Congress have blamed the government for failing to restore road connectivity and electric supply in most areas across the state.

Congress leader Nawang Rigzin Jora, who pointed to the hardship faced by the Ladakhi people, alleged that power was being supplied to the Army and not to the villagers in Ladhak. Even the ruling PDP MLAs said that people were left to fend for themselves in this harsh winter.

Meanwhile, the government has managed to allow stranded vehicles to reach the Kashmir Valley via the National Highway after it was closed due to heavy snowfall. Reports said that fresh landslides at different parts of the National Highway, especially between Ramban and Ramsu, have made it difficult for the government to make traffic possible on both ways.