Ahead of winter, long power cuts irk consumers

Srinagar, Oct 03 : The power crisis in Jammu and Kashmir is becoming worse as consumers are facing long power cuts during the day with authorities claiming that the talks to resolve the issue are on and in the coming days “things would improve.”
However, the local consumers said that the power scenario has worsened across the valley as just 4-5 hours of electricity is being supplied to them on a daily basis at a time when smart meters have been installed in almost half of Srinagar city with a promise of 24×7 power supply.
The irked consumers said that in both metered and non-metered areas, the erratic power supply from the past over two weeks have caused immense hardships to them.
“We were expecting an improvement in the power scenario after the installation of smart meters and also the augmentation of power infrastructure in the past four years, but all in vain as the situation has worsened ahead of the winters in Kashmir,” the consumers said.
Meanwhile, Chief Engineer, Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation limited (KPDCL), Javed Yousuf Dar said that the government is finding ways to resolve the issue of power paucity in J&K.
“The talks are going on with NTPC and others to get extra electricity for the people in J&K. We are expecting to get additional electricity in the coming days, which would help in resolving the present electricity situation,” he said.
He, however, stated that he was not aware about the huge debt of electricity purchase from outside.
Asked about the present electricity situation, the Chief Engineer, KPDCL, said that the low precipitation in the previous months has led to the reduction in discharge of water level in the water bodies, which simultaneously hit the power generation at major power houses as well.
“We are on it and we expect the issue to be resolved within a few days,” he said. (KNO)