Excessive overloading compels PDD to resort to pesky power cuts, such a situation to end after commission of Alesteng grid station: Chief Engineer
Owais Gul
Srinagar, Jan 01 : The Power Development Department (PDD) has bypassed even the directions of the Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Baseer Ahmad Khan, asking the department to adhere to the power supply schedule in letter and spirit. Amid freezing temperatures, electricity plays hide and seek in Kashmir including summer capital Srinagar leaving the people fuming.
According to the wire service—, the Divisional Commissioner Kashmir in a meeting chaired by him on December 9 took serious note of the unscheduled power cuts as informed by the Deputy Commissioners (DC) as well as feedback received from general public. He directed the Chief Engineer PDD to adhere to the power cut schedule issued by the department in letter and spirit to review winter preparedness in the region.
The locals complained that the department has miserably failed to adhere to the power schedule. “We are being forced to reel under darkness for most of the time in a day. The electricity in being supplied to the people for mere some hours in a day,” locals said.
The complains poured in from many areas across Kashmir including Srinagar especially from Safa Kadal, Seki Dafar, Chattabal, Bemina, Dalgate, Zafran Colony, Pantha Chowk, , Raj Bagh, Lal Chowk and other areas. These areas include metered as well as non-metered.
The locals said that the promises down with regarding 24*7 power supply this winter has also proved hoax on the ground as nothing special are being provided this year even the situation has worsened to a large extent this year.
“We were expecting that the former Governor of erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir State, Satya Pal Malik’s announcement will be implemented on the ground but this promise also proved a cruel joke to the people,” the local consumers said.
On September 18, 2019, Malik announced that J&K will get 24 hour power supply in coming winters. He made the announcement while addressing a gathering on the eve of inauguration of series of power projects at Raj Bhawan.
Nonetheless, the government in December last year stated that the power woes in Kashmir will end only after Alesteng grid station is completed, adding that it will be completed by the end of January 2020.
The PDD consumers said that the department although issued a power schedule till Alesteng grid station is completed, but unfortunately that too is not being followed on the ground, thus simultaneously leaving the people to lurch at large.
Meanwhile, PDD) Chief Engineer Aijaz Ahmad Dar told news agency that the department is being forced to resort to unscheduled power due to the excessive overloading by the people. “There is some technical outage in the line because of excessive overloading, which prompt the department to go for unscheduled power cuts. We request the people to slightly control the load till next one and a half month so that our lines should stand,” he added.
He further stated that if people cooperate by using their load very methodically then the department will be able to adhere to power supply schedule very strictly.
Dar also informed that after the commission of Alesteng grid station by February 10 this year, the people will heave a sigh of relief as “we will be able to get more 200 to 250 MGWs of power supply.” (KNO)
