Baramulla, July 12: Scores of employees from the Industrial Estate in Sopore town of Baramulla district staged a protest on Wednesday against the “severe power crisis that has inflicted substantial losses” upon their businesses.
The protesters expressed their frustration over the persistent electricity shortages which they said have plagued the area for the past two months.
Javed Bhat, president of the Industrial Estates in Sopore, lamented the “significant financial setbacks” resulting from the power crisis.
He said the industry has been incurring daily losses of Rs 2 to 3 crores. “Faced with the dearth of reliable power supply, industry representatives are contemplating relocating their operations to Jammu,” he said.
Javed told Rising Kashmir that the industrial area had an agreement with the power department to receive uninterrupted electricity for eight hours daily. “We are currently receiving only 3 to 4 hours of electricity, which is severely affecting our business operations,” he said, adding, “Despite several appeals to the department, no action has been taken to rectify the problem.”
Bhat said the dire consequences of the power curtailment have even compelled one of the prominent Baramulla units to consider moving its office to Jammu.
He criticized the “apparent contradiction” between promises made by the LG administration to tackle unemployment in the region and the dire job losses caused by the electricity crisis.
“The industrial workers fear that if the situation persists, they will be forced to shut down their industries entirely. We are 400 workers in Sopore Industrial Estate. If the situation remains the same, 400 families will be left without any source of income,” he said.
The protestors warned of intensifying their agitation if their demands are not met. They sought the intervention of the administration.
The power crisis in Sopore comes at a time when the government is installing smart meters in the area, which has further exacerbated the issue.
An official at the Power Development Department (PDD) in Sopore acknowledged the problem but said the issue lies with the “backend”, indicating the department’s limited ability to resolve the problem independently.
“The matter has been communicated to higher authorities, and we hope a solution will be found in the coming days,” the official said.
President Industrial Estate Sopore, however, issued a stern warning that if the power crisis remains unresolved within the next three to four days, they will intensify their protest.
