Provide uninterrupted electricity to help in stay-at-home: G. H Mir
SRINAGAR, April 9: Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) senior leader Ghulam Hassan Mir on Thursday urged the J&K UT government to ensure an uninterrupted power supply especially in rural areas to make stay-at-home advisory a success amid the COVID-19 lockdown.
In a statement issued here, Mir said in the prevailing pandemic, when the people are advised to stay indoors, it has become very difficult for them to observe these health guidelines in letter and spirit because of an erratic power supply.
“Though the central government claims there is an improvement in governance in J&K, reality is that the power situation has become worse as compared to what it was during the previous years. Isn’t it any priority for the UT government to provide uninterrupted power supply to people especially in rural areas when they are supposed to strictly stay-at-home to stem spread of a deadly disease?” Mir asked, while appealing the Lieutenant Governor G.S Murmu to intervene into the matter.
He said that most of the rural areas in Kashmir division are reeling under frequent power interruptions, which is causing immense difficulties to the people especially the students’ community whose studies have already got a huge dent due to the COVID Pandemic.
“People living in rural areas are compelled to arrange for alternate sources of illumination since they are facing worst power crisis that too during this pandemic. While people in cities and towns are facing low voltage and erratic power supply, people living in rural and far-flung areas have been left without electricity,” Mir said while referring to various villages of north Kashmir’s Baramulla and Kupwara districts.
The JKAP leader said that Power Development Department has also failed to create a buffer stock of electricity transformers at district and divisional levels to address the situation surfaced due to damaged transformers in various villages.
“The step-down transformers, installed in villages develop technical snags, and the consumers are being left in darkness till the process of lifting, repairing and re-installing a faulty transformer is completed in months together,” he added.
Mir also cautioned the administration to check black marketing, profiteering and the price rise of essential goods in view of the COVID Pandemic which is resulting into violation and breach of mandatory lockdown.
