With the closure of annual Darbar move office here, the Power Development Department has resorted to prolonged and unscheduled power cuts in Kashmir Valley. The situation has equally worsened in rural Kashmir as well as townships and cities.
While it affects all walks of life, the frequent power cuts have become a major source of worry for students who have been preparing to sit for examinations, including the tenth and 12th class starting in few days.
“The power cuts have been affecting the study of my son who is now appearing for the matric examination," said Gulzar Ahmad, a resident of Lal Bazar.
Abdul Ahad, a resident of Muqame-Shahwali said that ‘hide and seek’ by PDD was proving detrimental for the interest of the students in the area.
“How can students prepare without electricity. The competition levels have touched new heights and if they are not provided proper electricity, it is a violation of their rights by the government,” he said.
Reports said that the PDD has slashed the power supply in both metered and non-metered areas, adding to the problems of the residents’.
In the non-metered areas, the PDD resorts to several hours of curtailment per-day. The situation is more or less similar in metered areas but the outages are shorter than those in non-metered areas.
Locals said that the extended power cuts have surfaced as an unwritten rule in Valley no sooner Durbar Move shifts.
Sources said that the curtailment in metered areas is against the norms as PDD was bound to provide round-the-clock power supply. However, the PDP has attributed the outages to the increase in load capacity in winter. The department has already prepared and “notified” the new power schedule.
“The Power Development Department has already notified the power supply schedule and it is being followed,” Dheeraj Gupta, Commissioner Secretary PDD told GNS. “It has got nothing to do with the shifting of the move offices and its part of winter schedule,” he added.