Frequent, long power cuts in south Kashmir, contrary to PDD’s claims

Frequent, long power cuts in south Kashmir, contrary to PDD’s claims

Anantnag: Despite claims by the Power Development Department (PDD) of full power supply restoration in south Kashmir post the snowfall last week, the region is facing frequent and erratic power cuts even amid the bone-chilling cold.
Power supply was severely disrupted in the region following heavy snowfall last week. However, the restoration process was quick and people even hailed the PDD for its efforts.
But a week later, the power supply scenario in south Kashmir has gone from bad to worse as frequent power cuts have become the norm. The problem is being reported from across the south Kashmir region, Anantnag and Kulgam districts in particular.
“This is being done without any distinction between metered and non-metered areas,” Gulzar Ahmad, a resident of Bijbehara town in Anantnag district, said. “Ours is a metered area and we have been paying hefty power bills. But if you look at the power supply, we have not been getting even half an hour of uninterrupted power supply.”
The residents rue that the PDD has been beating drums about power restoration but the situation on the ground is worsening every passing day.
“We are supposed to get 6-hour power supply, followed by a six-hour blackout in our area. But the irony is we do not get even two hours of supply during the 6-hour schedule. The PDD seems unperturbed by the situation,” Saleem Ahmad, a resident of Nai-Basti area in Anantnag district, told Kashmir Reader.
Similar complaints were received from Kulgam and Shopian district as well, where both metered and non-metered areas are bearing the brunt. “In this extreme cold we have to wash and clean with cold water. We do not get enough power supply to run the geysers which make the water lukewarm, at least,” Zahid Hussain, a resident of main town Kulgam, told Kashmir Reader.
Sources in the PDD said that while they have restored the lines to the fullest, the 220KV Mir Bazar line is yet to be made functional after damage caused by the snow.
“A tower has been damaged in the Ramban area. That is why we in south Kashmir have been facing distress cuts for some days,” an official source said.

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