Locals, employees brave snow-covered terrain to manually transport transformer in Anantnag’s Chakura village

Kokernag (Anantnag), Jan 01: Residents, daily wagers, and employees of the Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited (KPDCL) came together to manually lift a damaged transformer from Chakura village in the Daksum area of Anantnag district.
Battling three feet of snow on hilly terrain where even a JCB machine couldn’t go, they carried the transformer to the nearest road to ensure they could pull it out and transport it to the workshop.
Mohammad Maqbool, a KPDCL official, told Rising Kashmir that the village’s transformer had malfunctioned on Friday. “We attempted to repair it on-site with the help of technicians, but the issue persisted,” he said.
By Tuesday, with no other options left, the team decided to transport the transformer to the divisional workshop in Anantnag. However, Chakura’s transformer is located in a gorge in the lower hills of Daksum, where road connectivity is nonexistent, he said.
“Around half a kilometer of the journey required us to lift the transformer manually,” Maqbool said. “Our employees, with the help and cooperation of local villagers, carried it through three feet of snow to reach the road.”
The village, home to 45 power consumers, relies on a 63 kVA transformer for electricity. A video from the scene shows around 15 people carrying the transformer through snow-covered terrain.
One of the villagers expressed frustration over the location of the transformer, saying, “It is situated down the hill without road access, making repairs extremely challenging. Relocating it closer to the road would allow vehicles to reach it easily, simplifying the repair process.”
Meanwhile, Mohammad Shafi, Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE), KPDCL Sub-Division Achabal, said that the transformer is currently undergoing repairs and will be transported back to the village within a day or two to restore electricity.
He added that the transformer will be returned to the site in a similar manner, as the area remains snow-covered and the terrain is hilly. “The village will have electricity restored soon, and we are working to complete the repairs as quickly as possible,” Shafi added.