- December 19, 2023
Amid power woes, Kashmir Valley reels under intense cold | India News – Times of India
SRINAGAR: Amid an acute power crisis, intense cold gripped Kashmir Valley with Gulmarg recording the coldest night at -8°C and Pahalgam at -5.8°C on Monday. The night temperatures in Srinagar and some other parts of the Valley, meanwhile, recorded a rise in the minimum temperature. Qazigund recorded a minimum temperature of 0.8°C against 0°C the previous night and in Kokernag, the mercury plunged to 1.1°C against the previous night’s -0.8°C.
Meanwhile, electricity shortagecontinues to plague Kashmiris and throw life out of gear in the Valley.Despite the power development department having notified the power curtailment schedule a month ago, the supply is erratic to the extent that consumers get a daily power supply for four to five hours, even insmart metered areas which pay maximum revenue to the department, locals claim. Unscheduled power cuts last between five and seven hours in these localities daily. Those with patients at home have been suffering the most.
J&K lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha had conveyed to the department to adhere to the power supply schedule but in vain. “It is annoying to have five to seven hours of power cut daily, even though we pay high electricity bills. The installation of smart meters in our area dates back to around two years. The department had promised that the smart-metered areas will have 24-hour power supply,” said Manzoor Bazaz, a resident of Rawalpora in Wanbal, Srinagar.
The situation is worse in Srinagar’s downtown areas and rural parts of north and south Kashmir. Some localities in rural south Kashmir districts such as Pulwama, Shopian, Anantnag, and Kulgam have installed smart meters but the residents claim that the power supply is hardly seamless.
Principal secretary PDD J&K, Rajesh Prasad said that the overall power supply in Kashmir has improved and the disruption in metered areas may be attributed to faults in the feeders. Power department officials, meanwhile, blamed a shortage of supply from the source.
Meanwhile, electricity shortagecontinues to plague Kashmiris and throw life out of gear in the Valley.Despite the power development department having notified the power curtailment schedule a month ago, the supply is erratic to the extent that consumers get a daily power supply for four to five hours, even insmart metered areas which pay maximum revenue to the department, locals claim. Unscheduled power cuts last between five and seven hours in these localities daily. Those with patients at home have been suffering the most.
J&K lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha had conveyed to the department to adhere to the power supply schedule but in vain. “It is annoying to have five to seven hours of power cut daily, even though we pay high electricity bills. The installation of smart meters in our area dates back to around two years. The department had promised that the smart-metered areas will have 24-hour power supply,” said Manzoor Bazaz, a resident of Rawalpora in Wanbal, Srinagar.
The situation is worse in Srinagar’s downtown areas and rural parts of north and south Kashmir. Some localities in rural south Kashmir districts such as Pulwama, Shopian, Anantnag, and Kulgam have installed smart meters but the residents claim that the power supply is hardly seamless.
Principal secretary PDD J&K, Rajesh Prasad said that the overall power supply in Kashmir has improved and the disruption in metered areas may be attributed to faults in the feeders. Power department officials, meanwhile, blamed a shortage of supply from the source.
