This year Kashmir has witnessed the highest snowfall in a decade. The winters were quite harsh and many spells of snow were recorded with one among them very early. Though this kind of snowfall used to be normal feature of winters in Kashmir decades back, however, due to global warming and environmental degradations, Kashmir used to receive low to moderate snowfall since last two decades. This year it wreaked, literally havoc. Orchards were damaged, causalities took place and the patients were carried out on stretches to hospitals. All roads were blocked and the transport went off the road.
Subsequent to the snowfall, the only surface link Srinagar-Jammu national highway connecting mountainous valley to the rest of country collapsed. This road link is the only source of survival for Kashmir and being predominantly the consumer market, the shutting of highway triggers huge economic crisis. That exactly happened.
With no supplies crossing the treacherous Jawahar tunnel and reaching to the valley, there was severe fuel crisis, prices of essentials were sky rocketing. In view of this crisis, lots of people managed to hoard the essentials at home after buying against huge prices and worsening situation further. A common man was there to bear the brunt.
The government had to issue an advisory to regulate the essential supplies including petrol, diesel and kerosene. Petrol pumps were barred from fuelling vehicles beyond 3 and 10 litres of petrol and diesel respectively. But this was not the solution. This highway has always been nightmare for valley and often in winters cause trouble to over 6 million populations.
This economic blockade that often happens in winters reminds us of our loopholes and the lessons we are refusing to learn. Kashmir is a border region and always stays in news for wrong happenings. India has nearly half a million soldiers deployed in the valley guarding its border with Pakistan and China.
The foot prints of soldiers continue to remain on this highway and heavy convoys besides civilian traffic movements is witnessed regularly mobilising troops and the essentials for their survival. So the highway is not only lifeline to the people of Kashmir, however, it is also serving strategic importance.
Overlooking the strategic and defence importance of this road is a sheer shame for successive regimes in Delhi. The under construction four lane road link that may likely full fill the demand of all weather connectivity is nowhere near to its completion. The companies building up the rail link also demand extension for deadlines repeatedly.
This is all happening despite having the strategic and national importance of the road. This lackadaisical attitude of New Delhi in connecting the Kashmir region socioeconomically with the rest of country in last seventy years have not only left people dejected, however, it is also a sheer compromise on national security when two nuclear hostile neighbours continue to trouble you in backyard.
The lesions must be learnt from Kargil war in 1999 when India faced huge difficulties in mobilizing troops to Ladakh to push back the insurgents backed by Pakistan army in Kargil due to poor road connectivity. Since then the hostilities have only grown not only with Pakistan, but with China too. Under these circumstances ignoring the much required all weather road link is only a mistake counted upon New Delhi that might have serious ramifications in future.
