KL Report
SRINAGAR
At a time when People are facing hardships due to LPG crisis, new power curtailment schedule announced by Power Development Department (PDD) has further added to the woes of common people. Business Community has warned that they will come on roads if uninterrupted power supply will not be ensured to metered areas.
The PDD has come up with new curtailment schedule in which power cuts in metered as well as non-metered areas have been increased. Non metered areas will reel under more darkness this winter as there will be 57 hours of curtailment per week as compared to metered areas where curtailment hours per week is 17 hours.
According to the new order, power schedule in non-metered areas will be: Morning- twice a week OFF (5 AM to 8 AM); 8 AM to 1 PM Thrice a week OFF, 1 PM to 6 PM four times a week OFF, Evening- twice a week OFF (6 PM to 8 PM and 8 PM to 10 PM alternately); Night- once a week OFF (10 PM to 5 AM).
Power schedule in metered areas will be: Morning- once a week OFF (5 Am to 8 AM) 8 AM to 1 PM once a week OFF, 1 PM to 6 PM once a week OFF, Evening- once a week OFF (6 PM to 8 PM and 8 PM to 10 PM alternately); Night- once a week OFF (10 PM to 5 AM).
The move has triggered anger among people who are yet to come out of LPG shortage crisis. People accuse government of adding insult to their injuries by announcing the new power curtailment schedule. Business community has blamed Government for the power mess.
Kashmir Economic Alliance Chairman, Muhammad Yaseen Khan told CNS that there is schedule without any schedule. “People of Kashmir are paying electricity dues properly and in time and yet Valley is reeling under darkness. Government had promised it would supply uninterrupted electricity to metered areas but the new schedule has proved all these promises as hoax,” Khan said.
He warned that if Power Development Department did not change its schedule and supply uninterrupted electricity to the metered areas then business community would come on roads and start agitation in this regard.
All Parties Sikh Coordination Committee Chairman, Jagmohan Singh Raina told CNS that Government is going back on its promises. “When it started metering, PDD had promised uninterrupted power supply but again it has given us impression that there is no difference between metering and non-metering areas,” Raina said that Government should stop supplying power to outside states and save Valley from reeling under darkness.
“It has been always the tactic of State government to issue new power curtailment schedule when Durbar gets shifted to Jammu,” Jahangir Ahmed, a local resident said.
“It is very unfortunate that ministers and officials take it easy and don’t take woe’s of people into account while passing new orders. The new power schedule will increase the woes of people here,” he said.
The additional curtailment has become a worry for parents whose wards have to sit in examinations. “It will be difficult for our children as they can’t study, when there will hardly be any electricity during evening time?” one of the parents said.
When contacted Chief Engineer PDD, Bashir Ahmed Khan told CNS that new schedule would be implemented in letter and spirit. “The curtailment hours in such areas could be reduced where it is observed that there is a reduction in AT&C losses. People will get electricity as per schedule and there will no change in it,” Khan said.
