by Jahangir Sofi
SRINAGAR: Kashmir residents are finding themselves ensnared in a severe power crisis, disrupting their daily lives and throwing essential services into disarray. With daily power cuts stretching up to 12 to 15 hours for both metered and non-metered areas, the region plunges into darkness for most parts of the day, exacerbating the woes of the populace.
The situation has sparked widespread concern, and anger among the people. Almost every politician talks about the crisis and now, even the pulpits are raising the issue.
According to official sources from the Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited (KPDCL), the allocated power supply has dwindled to a mere 1200 megawatts (MW), significantly short of the peak requirement of 2100 MW to meet the existing demand. This shortfall compels the corporation to implement extensive load-shedding measures, leaving residents grappling with prolonged outages ranging from 12 to 15 hours daily for both metered and non-metered areas.
Official sources privy to the information told Kashmir Life that currently for metered areas, there is a scheduled cut of around 12 hours and for the non-metered areas, a cut of around 15 hours has been planned.
One officer said that even the feeders entitled to 24X7 electricity are getting a cut of around six hours, however, the essential feeders are being provided 24X7 electricity supply, which includes feeders for VVIP, hospitals, Gupkar and Raj Bhawan.
Even areas designated for round-the-clock power supply are experiencing outages lasting 5 to 6 hours per day, further. The KPDCL, despite efforts to increase revenue and implement smart metering, finds itself in a precarious position, unable to procure additional power to alleviate the situation.
The trade and business community in the valley say that the ramifications of the power crisis extend beyond inconvenience, significantly impacting economic activities and essential services.
They say that businesses, both large and small, are bearing the brunt of erratic power supply and are experiencing disruptions in operations, loss of productivity, and financial setbacks.
Following the electricity crisis, trade bodies, hoteliers, and those in the tourism service sector have also voiced grave concerns, highlighting the adverse effects on economic growth on their business in the region, urging authorities to take immediate measures to address the crisis, including augmenting power generation capacity, diversifying energy sources, and enhancing infrastructure to avert future occurrences.
Notably, KPDCL while acknowledging the situation, have attributed the situation on electricity to limited power availability.
On its microblogging site X, KPDCL wrote, “Due to limited power availability, there has been an unavoidable increase in power curtailment. These restrictions will be eased once power availability improves. Please bear with us and ensure judicious use of power, especially during peak hours. Avoid exceeding sanctioned loads or hooking”.
