Srinagar, July 06: The Power Development Department (PDD) has disconnected the supply to tourist huts in north Kashmir’s Kupwara for failing to pay the outstanding bill of around Rs 3 lakh.
The PDD officials said electricity is being disconnected to these tourist accommodations “just like other defaulting consumers”.
The visitors in these huts in the Reshwari area of Mawer in Handwara have expressed frustration with the tourism department for failing to provide electricity despite charging a substantial amount for accommodation.
The tourists staying at Reshwari huts said they were facing severe issues due to the unavailability of electricity. When they inquired about the problem with the employees present, they were informed that there had been no power for more than 45 days.
Mudasir Ahmad, a local resident, criticised the tourism department for “neglecting” the huts despite promoting border tourism. He said the tourism huts lack electricity which causes great inconvenience to the visitors. “Hundreds of people visit the area daily and these issues including the absence of public washrooms, especially for women, add to their discomfort,” he said.
The locals also alleged that since the construction of these huts, the tourism department has never paid attention to the area. The huts remain unattended throughout the year, even though the people continue to occupy them, they said.
An employee from the tourism department told Rising Kashmir that the PDD disconnected the power supply to the huts a month ago. “Since then, there has been no electricity available and we rely on solar inverters for evening hours,” he said.
Chief Engineer KPDCL Er Mohammad Yousuf said, “Like other defaulting consumers, the PDD is disconnecting electricity to these tourist huts. They must pay the bills to use electricity just like everyone else.”
Executive Engineer of Tourism in Kupwara, Farooq Ahmad Shah, told Rising Kashmir that there are issues with the tariff. “We have brought these issues to the attention of the concerned department and we expect to resolve them in the next few days,” he said. “We have also requested for installing electricity meters at these huts to avoid any confusion.”
