Former Minister and MLA Amirakadal Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari has urged the government to ensure adequate availability of essential commodities especially rice, LPG and kerosene before a snowfall in the Valley.He urged the Honb’le Chief Minister to take up the issue of curtailment in Kerosene quota with the union government at an earliest. “There are disturbing reports that the union government has drastically reduced the winter quota of kerosene from 51 Lacs litre per month to 28 lacs litres for J&K. I appeal Ms. Mufti to take up this alarming issue with the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas New Delhi as it is yet another decision in last four years which has constantly reduced the kerosene share of Valley,” Bukhari observed. In a statement issued to KNS, he said the kerosene scarcity and prevailing poor supply of electricity has added to the woes of people who are presently braving tremendous hardships on account of the biting cold in Kashmir. “Not only the freezing temperature but the long unscheduled power cuts and inadequate supply of LPG cylinders and Kerosene has aggravated the situation further in Kashmir especially in Srinagar where the use of firewood is minimal.
The authorities must accord a serious consideration to this situation and take measures to mitigate the sufferings of people,” the MLA Amirakadal remarked.Expressing serious concern over the erratic power supply and reports on scarcity of essential commodities including ration, LPG and kerosene, Bukhari said the administration must make certain that there is no dearth of ration especially rice, sugar, wheat flour and kerosene in Government depots across Kashmir.The former minister sought personal intervention of the Chief Minister Ms. Mehbooba Mufti for a review of stock positions in Kashmir. He said there is an immediate need for effective measures to be taken to bridge the gap between availability and consumption of ration, kerosene and for setting up a dependable power delivery system in Kashmir valley.He also urged the health department to meet the hospital requirements and services for all specialty departments before the snowfall in Kashmir. “With chilly winters, there is a surge in different diseases in hilly areas of Kashmir so the government should also review its arrangements and take stock of supplies in hospitals especially in rural areas of Kashmir,” Bukhari demanded. (KNS)