Jammu faces unbearable heat with up to 8-hr daily power cuts
Electricity bills double, but power woes persist: Consumers
Srinagar, May 28: Jammu and Kashmir is currently facing an unprecedented heatwave along with a severe power crisis, severely impacting the lives of its residents. The Jammu region, in particular, is suffering the most, with temperatures soaring to 43 degrees Celsius and extensive power cuts exacerbating the situation.
The Jammu Power Development Corporation Ltd. (JPDCL) has announced further load-shedding measures, with urban areas facing four-hour daily power cuts and rural areas enduring up to eight hours without electricity. These measures have left residents struggling to cope with the extreme heat.
The government haveacknowledged the ongoing issues and stated there was a fault at the mother grid station in Jammu. It said the fault has been cleared and by this evening or tomorrow people in this region will get power as per schedule.
When contacted Principal Secretary of the Power Development Department H. Rajesh Prasad admitted to a fault at the mother grid station in Jammu, which has since been cleared. “There was an issue in the mother grid and the demand-supply gap has increased due to peak summers. However, I have directed the concerned officials to reduce the curtailment. There will still be curtailment but it will be reduced from what consumers are currently facing,” Prasad.
“This is an utter failure for the PDD department,” said Anuja, one of the consumer from Bantalab, Jammu. “Despite their tall claims of having bought extra power supplies from northern grid stations, the situation for Jammu residents remains unchanged. I wonder why this department makes tall claims and provides false information to higher officials that doesn’t reflect the ground reality. Recently, electricity tariff bills have doubled, yet there is no respite from the power cuts.”
The power cuts have severely affected vulnerable populations, particularly the elderly and those with chronic health conditions. Rahul Sharma, a resident of Jammu, shared his plight: “My father, who is in his 80s, is a COPD patient. We had to buy a generator to ensure his oxygen concentrator machine runs without disruptions. I don’t think all families can afford generators. Prolonged power cuts are a death knell for such patients.”
Similar concerns have been echoed by residents across the region. Ishfaq Ahmed of Chanapora, Srinagar, expressed his frustration with the situation in Kashmir. “We were expecting relief after LTAP wires and smart meter installations, but nothing has improved. The only noticeable change is in the increased tariff bills. In winter, they accuse people of causing load shedding, but currently, in areas with smart meters where tampering is impossible, there is still no electricity supply. These areas face scheduled power cuts of 8 hours, and the duration of unscheduled power cuts remains unknown.”
The ongoing power crisis has drawn comparisons to the severe outages experienced in 2004, when blackouts lasted up to 18 hours a day. Residents are calling for urgent action to address the power supply issues and alleviate the suffering caused by the extreme weather conditions.
As the temperatures continue to climb, the people of Jammu and Kashmir await a swift resolution to the power crisis that has left them in the dark during one of the hottest periods on record.
