by Saifullah Bashir
SRINAGAR: The unscheduled and prolonged power cuts during the ongoing month of Ramzan has irked the common people who castigate the administration for failing to live up to their claims of providing uninterrupted services at least in the summer capital Srinagar.
Citizens across Srinagar are complaining of curtailment in electricity at peak hours of Ramzan.
From the first day of the holy month, the electricity went off during Sehri and Iftar times which is creating a lot of difficulties for citizens.
“Since the beginning of Ramzan, our area is under complete darkness during Sehri and Iftar time,” said Zubair Wani, a resident of the Batamaloo area.
The unscheduled power cuts are taking place both in metered and non-metered areas. The situation in both the Sher-i-Khaas and uptown is similar.
“Power department could do curtailments during the day time rather than evening and morning times,” Wani added.
Meanwhile, the unscheduled power curtailment has taken social media by buzz. Netizens are criticizing the Kashmir Power Development Corporation Limited (KPDCL).
“Depriving us of electricity at Sehri and Iftaar time during Ramzan, It is a new normal by the authorities for their Naya Kashmir?” tweeted Syed Shahriyar, a multimedia journalist.
A KPDCL official said at present they are supplying around 16 per cent more energy as compared to last year.
Morning peak (Sehri time) load touched 1631 Mega Watts on April 15 which is the highest load recorded ever.
Chief Engineer KPDCL Aijaz Dar requested consumers to rationalize their load and avoid using heating gadgets at Sehri and Iftar so that a smooth power supply can be ensured.
“People are taking only one aspect into consideration. They are ignoring power theft. Due to dip in temperature, use of room heaters and other electronic gadgets is massive, which is the main hindrance in power distribution,” Dar said.
He added that once the weather will improve, the use of heating gadgets will come down which in turn will improve the power situation.
Through different social media platforms, the department is appealing to people to minimize the load, he said.
Last week, Lieutenant Governor Major Sinha inaugurated 17 Power Projects worth Rs 118.91 crore at Delina, Baramulla.
In order to revive Jammu and Kashmir’s power surplus, LG approved rupees 54,000 crores worth of power projects which would generate 3500-MW in three to four years. The government has also increased the power sector budget by Rs 120 crore, taking the total to Rs 2728 crore.
