News Kashmir Exclusive
The power crisis is back haunting the valley of Kashmir with long power cuts hitting the length and breadth of Kashmir valley. With winter about to dawn the situation is giving lot of worries to people of kashmir .
With Darbar moving to Winter capital Jammu the Power Department has issued an annoying curtailment schedule . According to this schedule, Kashmir will be facing twenty one- hour power cut in metered areas in a week and forty two- hour cut in non- metered areas, as per the curtailment schedule of Power Development Department.
Students facing different exams and industries, trade are usually the worst hit due to these power curtailments.
Manzoor Ahmad, a student states – “ Power crisis during winters is a reality of Kashmir . The load shedding in crippling manner is back and is causing worry among all the Students who consider themselves the worst affected by this out uncontrolled load shedding, as during evening time especially this brings all important exam preparations to a near standstill. The bad impacts of load shedding are beyond description – From Housewife to students, Professional to Labourer everyone seems to be badly hit by this recently spell of never ending load shedding. “
On its part, Power Department has maintained that it can only effort 1200 MWs of power these days however the demand is 1600 MWs. So we have started the power curtailment from last few days and according to the schedule the metered areas are subjected to 21 hours of weekly cut and non- metered 42 hours.
As a matter of fact, the J&K State has the potential to generate around 20,000 MWs. of hydroelectric power, but it has largely remain untapped and whatever it has not been given due share in the various hydro-electric projects as NHPC continues to mistreat the state, and electricity seems by and large a Delhi-controlled affair.
Importantly, Dry weather for the past about six months has resulted in considerable drop in the water level, lowest in about two decades, in river Jhelum and its tributaries, and all this has adverse consequences on the generation of electricity as well.
Realities call upon the Government to take necessary all the necessary steps to curb load shedding before this problem goes out of hand and people are forced to protest. Sane voices are also urging upon the masses to use electricity judiciously so that the crisis does not worsen further.
