SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (JKPDP) on Tuesday raised serious concerns over the deteriorating power situation in the Kashmir Valley amidst the ongoing severe cold wave, calling the government’s apathy deeply alarming.
In a statement, PDP General Secretary and former legislator Mohammad Khurshid Alam criticised the erratic power supply and prolonged outages, which he said have left residents of the Valley in dire straits. He highlighted the plight of patients requiring oxygen concentrators, which are essential for those with pulmonary conditions that have risen significantly in the post-COVID period.
“Electricity is crucial for the operation of oxygen concentrators. Currently, prolonged power cuts lasting 8 to 9 hours a day have made these life-saving machines unusable. Reports indicate that lives have been lost due to power outages. This government is playing with people’s lives,” Alam stated.
He also criticised the government for its failure to fulfil promises of relief through smart metering. “On the one hand, people are being burdened with heavy electricity bills, and on the other, they are denied power when it is needed most. This is nothing short of a vindictive approach against the helpless people of this region,” he said.
Alam urged the government to treat electricity as an essential service, especially during the harsh winter months when prolonged outages could prove fatal. “The Jammu and Kashmir administration must address this issue with the Union Government on an urgent basis and ensure uninterrupted power supply to the Valley during the ongoing winter. For the people here, this is not a luxury but a matter of survival,” he added. (KNO)
