As the winter is approaching in Kashmir, it not only brings cold and snow along but also a plethora of inconveniences that make life of people extremely difficult.
The natural aspects of winter cannot be fully atoned with the technological advancements but still many things have changed so far and to a considerable degree, life in winter zones have highly improved across the world.
However, the story in Kashmir valley remains almost same during winters. Even before the snowfall, electricity begins to shut down in spasmodic intervals that only tend to intensify as winter becomes more harsh.
There are even 14 hour blackouts through which people have to rely on middle age conventional sources of energy and light.
Besides, most of the snow clearance begins days after the snowfall which keeps people locked inside their homes. The situation of snow clearance in remote villages is even deplorable as they have to wait for weeks for snow clearance machines to reach the countryside.
All this adds to the woes of the public who by successive governments are always promised that the impending winter is going to be better. But at ground nothing seems to be changing and people continue to suffer.
Even Srinagar city, the summer capital, has to face many problems from snow accumulation to frozen water supply pipes. Nothing seems to be improving while people keep on raising their demands before the government.
However, the government must act in accordance with the public demands especially when Srinagar City is scheduled to become a Smart City. It is highly imperative that basic facilities are provided to the local populace round the clock otherwise a Smart City without electricity will look dull and non-lustrous.
