{"id":11029,"date":"2026-01-31T18:37:38","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T18:37:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/?p=11029"},"modified":"2026-01-31T18:37:38","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T18:37:38","slug":"shopian-residents-demand-separate-mechanical-division","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/2026\/01\/31\/shopian-residents-demand-separate-mechanical-division\/","title":{"rendered":"Shopian residents demand separate mechanical division"},"content":{"rendered":"

Shopian, Jan 31:\u00a0<\/strong>Residents of south Kashmir\u2019s Shopian district have once again pressed for a separate Mechanical Division, saying continued dependence on an Anantnag-based unit leaves the district crippled after snowfall and reflects years of official apathy toward a long-pending demand.<\/p>\n

The district currently depends on a single Mechanical Division based in Anantnag, which caters to the entire south Kashmir region.<\/p>\n

Locals allege that due to this arrangement, Shopian is usually the last district to receive snow clearance machinery, resulting in prolonged disruption of normal life.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven after a moderate snowfall, our roads remain blocked for two to three days,\u201d said Abdul Rashid, a resident of Keller. \u201cSnow clearance machines arrive very late because Shopian does not have its own mechanical division. Patients suffer the most as ambulances cannot reach hospitals on time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Residents said that interior areas, particularly Keller, Zainapora, Harmain and several outskirts of Shopian town, remain completely cut off whenever snowfall occurs. Link roads, they alleged, are often ignored, forcing people to fend for themselves.<\/p>\n

Mohammad Yousuf, a shopkeeper from Kapran said locals are compelled to clear snow manually. \u201cPeople come out with shovels to clear roads on their own. It is shameful that in this day and age, a full-fledged district like Shopian does not have adequate snow clearance machinery,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The lack of a dedicated mechanical division, residents said, has serious economic consequences as well. \u201cFruit growers, traders and daily wage workers suffer heavy losses,\u201d said Kifayat Ahmad, an apple grower from Shopian. \u201cMarkets remain shut for days and transportation comes to a halt. Shopian is one of the most important horticulture districts of Kashmir, yet basic infrastructure is missing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Women and elderly residents expressed grave concern over medical emergencies during winters. Naseema Begum, a resident of Harmain, said pregnant women and elderly patients are the worst affected. \u201cMany times, patients are carried on foot or on makeshift stretchers because roads are blocked and vehicles cannot reach our villages,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Residents said the issue resurfaces every winter despite repeated representations and assurances from authorities. \u201cThe file for a separate mechanical division has been lying with the government for years,\u201d said Ghulam Nabi, a retired employee. \u201cBoth locals and concerned departments have been following up on this demand for over a decade, but nothing concrete has been done.\u201d<\/p>\n

The locals also reacted strongly to the recent statement of the Deputy Chief Minister during his visit to Shopian, where he said that no one had approached him with such a demand. \u201cThis is completely incorrect,\u201d said several residents. \u201cThe Deputy CM must verify records. The demand has been officially raised multiple times, both by the public and by departmental officials.\u201d<\/p>\n

Residents from the area urged the government to immediately intervene and sanction a separate Mechanical Division for Shopian, equipped with sufficient snow cutters, dozers and manpower.<\/p>\n

They said only a dedicated division can ensure timely road clearance and spare the people from recurring hardships every winter\u2014(KNO)<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Shopian, Jan 31:\u00a0Residents of south Kashmir\u2019s Shopian district have once again pressed for a separate Mechanical Division, saying continued dependence on an Anantnag-based unit leaves the district crippled after snowfall and reflects years of official apathy toward a long-pending demand. The district currently depends on a single Mechanical Division based in Anantnag, which caters to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11029","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-latest-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11029","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11029"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11029\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11030,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11029\/revisions\/11030"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11029"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11029"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11029"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}