Srinagar, February 24
While the armed forces are engaged in a herculean task of restoring the link to the Kashmir valley, the civil administration in the snow-bound state is also struggling to cope up with the enormity of the situation.

Caught off-guard due to the heaviest snowfall in the past 43 years, which has blocked roads, triggered deadly avalanches and caused enormous loss to life and property in Jammu and Kashmir, the state administration has put forward a slew of demands before the Central Government.

Briefing Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Army chief Gen J.J. Singh here yesterday, senior civil administration officers said they require a dedicated helicopter for evacuating people and dropping food packets to those trapped in inaccessible areas.

Other equipment being sought urgently by the state government includes snow cutters, ploughs, diesel generator sets, dozers and diesel mobile pumps. "We have conveyed out demands to the Ministry of Home Affairs, which in turn, has passed them on to the defence ministry," District Development Commissioner, Srinagar, Mr Shailendra Kumar, said. "These are required to clear the national highway and other important roads," he added.

While major roads leading to Srinagar and those within the city have been cleared of snow, restoration of power and water supply is still a major task before the civil administration, the commissioner said.

These are expected to be airlifted from Delhi or other areas in Jammu and Kashmir where the requirement is not critical. Inadequate relief and rescue equipment available with the state agencies are affecting the relief and rescue works.

The Srinagar airport is the only functional link between the city and the outside world. Though primarily an Air Force base, its runway is shared by civilian operators and the civilian terminal is alongside.

The airport too had remained closed for a few days, with about three-feet snow burying the runway and dispersal bays. Round-the-clock operations by the airforce authorities to clear the snow from the runway and parts of the dispersal bay enabled airlift operations to be commenced this week.

It was only two days after the IAF established an airbridge to Srinagar from Jammu that civilian operators began their flights to the summer capital. As many as nine civilian flights are operating to Srinagar in a day. While the IAF is operating sorties from Srinagar at night, civilian operators are reluctant to do so even though the airfield is capable of handling night operations.

Apart from the runway, parking bays and pathways, the sprawling airfield and roof tops lie hidden beneath the snow. Some vehicles and equipment too remains under the snow. Besides using dozers and snow cutters, the IAF also employed local labour to manually clear the snow.