No let-up in power crisis in north Kashmir

Baramulla, Nov 18: With no let-up in unscheduled power cuts in northern townships of Kashmir, residents express dismay over the administration’s failure to redress the power outage issues, saying their lives have become hell amidst cold weather conditions.
Locals from north Kashmir’s Baramulla district said that despite being equipped with smart meters, they are grappling with the severe impact of unscheduled power cuts.
Yet again the government’s promise of uninterrupted power supply remains at large, they said.
“What was the fun of installing smart meters if they had no supplies to offer?” a resident of Sopore asked.
We are facing prolonged power cuts despite being upgraded with smart meters. “Our area is receiving only 3 to 4 hours of electricity. If curtailments are necessary, these should be minimal to avoid severe inconvenience to the people,” Mohammed Amin, a Baramulla resident, said.
Residents of Pattan voiced similar concerns, saying the Power Development Department should improve supplies at the earliest to avoid inconvenience to people amidst bone-chilling weather conditions.
Criticising the PDD, the frustrated residents said that every year, the department comes up with an excuse of low generation and high demands. “The promises of better power supply are never fulfilled,” Shahid Ahmed, a local said.
The non-metered areas across the region also complain of prolonged power cuts. They have urged the administration to resolve the issue at the earliest and fulfill its commitments.
The other affected areas include Rafiabad, Uri, Zaingeer, Kreeri, Kandi, Pattan, Wagoora, Tangmarg and Handwara.
Acknowledging the power crisis, Additional Deputy Commissioner Sopore, SA Raina said the issue will be resolved soon.
“No doubt people are facing severe inconveniences due to inadequate power supplies; however, the matter is being taken up with the higher officials and we are hopeful that the crisis ends soon,” he said.
Raina said that currently there are fewer supplies as per the demand which is taking a heavy toll on people. “With the improvement in supplies, the issue will get resolved,” he said, adding, “We are in touch with the STD faculty and are urging them on and off to maintain the supplies and to minimise faults.”
The senior officials at the PDD in Baramulla and Sopore expressed similar comments over the power crisis.
The issue will be resolved soon as the department anticipates receiving more supply, PDD Executive Engineer Baramulla said.