Srinagar
While expressing serious concern over the precarious power situation in Kashmir valley, CPI (M) leader and MLA Kulgam Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami Saturday said it is unfortunate that the same situation is being repeated during every winter.
The spokesman said that though the government claims there is improvement in governance, reality is that the power situation is same as it was during the previous years. There is no improvement. Isn’t it any priority for the government to provide uninterrupted power supply to people in this harsh winter. Even the winter has just begun, and soon after the Durbar move offices moved to Jammu, the people of the Valley have been left helpless being devoid of power supply.
No power schedule is being followed on ground and even metered areas are facing long and unscheduled power cuts much to the annoyance of public. People living in rural and far flung areas are without electricity and the recent snowfall has aggravated the crisis. People living in rural areas are compelled to arrange for alternate sources of illumination since they are facing worst power crisis. While the people in cities and towns had to face low voltage and erratic power supply, people living in rural and far-flung areas were left without electricity.
The transmission and distribution system has also deteriorated thereby depriving the consumers of vital electricity facility. The dilapidated LT network especially in rural areas is posing a grave threat to the life and property of the common man. The recent power break-down in the valley reportedly resulting from the collapse of a high voltage transmission tower caused by unusually heavy and untimely snowfall resulted in a power outage throughout the valley.
Power Development Department (PDD) has also failed to create a buffer stock of electricity transformers at district and divisional levels to address the situation surfaced due to damaged transformers. The step-down transformers, installed in every neighborhood develop technical snag, especially during winter months, and the consumers are left helpless in darkness and freezing cold till the process of lifting, repairing and re-installing a faulty transformer is completed in weeks together.
The faulty policies of the PDD for the damages of electricity transformers are the reason for the mess. The PDD has never bothered to open workshops at district level to repair the damaged transformers due to which these have to be sent to central workshops where it take lot of time.
