Heavy snowfall disrupts electricity in valley

Srinagar, Jan 30: Heavy snowfall Monday disrupted the electricity scenario in the Kashmir valley, and the majority of the areas grope in darkness. .
Following heavy snowfall over the intervening night of January 30, electric supply to several regions of Kashmir Valley was disrupted, and the valley’s load fell below 850 MWs in the early morning hours of January 30.
Out of the 33 KV feeders, 14 were faulty along withfour 33 KV taplines, affecting electricity supply mostly in the Kashmir Valley’s Sopore, Kupwara, and Handwara regions. A part of District Budgam and District Anantnag were also impacted owing to the failure of four of the fourteen 33 KV lines. Furthermore, due to significant snowfall, around 215 11 KV feeders were out of service.
The heavy snowfall that started earlier today damaged electricity lines, and due to the road blockade, the power development department (PDD) officials were unable to reach their respective places to fix the affected lines.
An official of the PDD department told Rising Kashmir that since morning, the department has pressed its men to restore the main lines. After the complete restoration of the main lines, the men will be pressed to fix the other lines to restore electricity as soon as possible. He said due to blocked roads, there was a bit of a delay in restoring the power supply in many areas as their men faced hardships to reach their respective palaces.
Er. Javid Yousuf of Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited (KPDCL) told Rising Kashmir that, with the exception of Kulgam, Budgam, and Kupwara, power has been restored, and their men are working to restore power to these areas as soon as possible.
He stated that their men have been on the job since the snowfall began, and that they have restored approximately 80% of the power supply; however, in some areas, there were pole and wire damages that required the men on the job to repair the lines as soon as possible. He went on to say that the current load is 1530 MW, while the regular load is 1650–1700.
Meanwhile, braving inclement weather, Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Ltd. field teams underMD, KPDCL Yasin M Choudhary were mobilized to rectify the faults. The field teams of KPDCL started patrolling the faulty lines and were able to bring up the load of Kashmir Valley to around 1590 MWs by 3 PM.
However, residents in many parts of the valley reported that they had been in the dark since the morning and that the department had not restored power until late in the evening. Azhar Ahmad, a local of Budgam, told Rising Kashmir over the phone that “Whenever there is mild snowfall, the outskirts of town remain under darkness.”
He stated that this is not the first time they have rendered in the dark, but the mild snow and snowfall caused flaws that took the department a long time to correct. Such complaints were also received from other parts of the valley, where people contested the PDD’s claims of restoration of electricity.
The roads’ inner lanes in Srinagar were also not cleared of snow till late Monday evening, which makes it tough for people to venture out from their homes. The majority of city residents, particularly those living on the outskirts, also complain about snow-covered lanes, by lanes .
However, the mechanical department said they cleared roads at 11 in the morning, and due to continuous snow, these stretches got blocked again. They stated that as soon as the snow stops, they will press on with the snow removal in the city.
People in other parts of the valley, however, expressed strong resentment toward the authorities for failing to clear snow from roads.
Meanwhile, the KPDCL, in a statement, issued here today said that at present only four 33 KV lines which specially feed to Sopore Area of District Baramulla and few areas of Bijbehara are under fault and by evening all the 33 KV lines will be charged. Out of all the 11 KV feeders only 154 feeders remain out due to the faulty status of four 33KV lines.
MD, KPDCL was closely monitoring the situation and assured the public that all the feeders would be up and live. This is the first time that such a quick restoration has happened since the incorporation of KPDCL.
The MD has also praised the patience shown by the public towards the corporation and assured the public that the field team of KPDCL will not rest till all the feeders are up and running.