In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha today chaired a joint meeting of various departments on winter preparedness at Civil Secretariat Srinagar. He directed the concerned officers for the strengthening of a robust response mechanism for power restoration, essential supplies, water and road connectivity during winters.<br />''<br />''The Lt Governor also directed the officials present in the meeting to use Choppers of Raj Bhawan for medical emergencies in addition to the helicopter services extended by the Central Government in the cut off areas such as Tangdhar, Gurez, Keran, Machhil. He also directed to ensure availability of public utilities like wood, ration, medicines and other basic amenities.<br />''<br />''For road connectivity, the Lt Governor directed for acquiring all the necessary machinery required for snow clearance from all the main and internal roads. In order to clear the inner lanes of villages off snow, where machines cannot be deployed, the administration can hire the trained manpower, and must clear the snow for smooth movement.  <br />''<br />''Stressing upon synergy between the departments, the Lt Governor directed the officers to monitor and keep a close watch on the functioning of their respective departments pertaining to winter preparedness for better coordination to avoid inconvenience to the public.<br />''<br />''While reviewing the winter preparedness of the Power Department, the Lt Governor enquired about the availability and surplus of power transformers for the coming winter season. He directed the Power Department for establishment of task force to ensure power supply and gave strict directions for the availability of surplus transformers to cater to the need during the winter season.<br />''<br />''The Lt Governor directed the Jal Shakti Department to take all the measures required to ensure that there is no scarcity of drinking water. He also stressed upon enough stock of fuel, cooking gas before harsh winter slams the region.<br />''<br />''The Lt. Governor also asked the top government officials to put in place every available facility including emergency services such as power back-up for hospitals, water pumping stations, important government offices and state of the art ambulance services at all hospitals, especially in the higher reaches area. The officials said snow control rooms will be established in every district headquarters by 15th October for smooth operation of Snow Clearance mechanically and manually.<br />