Ire brewing against pesky power cuts

Srinagar, Dec 16 : With power situation worsening in held Kashmir, people took to roads in several parts of the summer capital here to protest against the erratic power supply amid biting cold conditions.

Anger is brewing across the Valley against the Power Development Department (PDD) for enforcing long and unscheduled power cuts.

PDD authorities said situation would not improve unless consumers cooperate to save energy.

Massive protests were held in different localities of downtown against the erratic power supply. Angry people disrupted traffic for long hours, shouting anti-government slogans.
 Residents of Nowpora, Eidgah, Sakidafar and Safakadal and its adjoining areas assembled outside mosques after prayers and staged demonstrations.

 “PDD is resorting 12 to 18 hours unscheduled power cuts,” said a local Muhammad Faheem Reshi of Nowapora.

 Traders from these localities said even though the marketplaces were metered, they were being subjected to erratic power cuts.
 Over more than a month the power situation in held Kashmir has remained grim forcing people in different districts to stage anti-government and anti-PDD demonstrations.

 Situation was alike in metered and unmetered areas, both in rural and urban held Kashmir.

 People in Baramulla, Pulwama, Budgam and other districts complained of severe and pesky power cuts.

 “We are witnessing cuts after every hour. The power plays hide and seek during evening and night,” said Mushtaq Ahmad of Baramulla.

 In Wahibugh village of Pulwama district in occupied Kashmir people accused PDD of violating its own power schedule.
 “The entire village is without electricity for past more than a month. Nobody is listening to our pleas,” residents told Greater Kashmir.

 Elsewhere in the district the power scenario is worsening. Last month there were several protests on power shortage in the district forcing the authorities to enforce severe restrictions to bring situation under control.

 “The situation is leading in the same direction again,” residents told Greater Kashmir.

Reports reaching from other districts said the consumers are all fire against PDD for not sticking to the announced power curtailment schedule.

According to them, there are frequent cuts in power supply after almost every two to three hours and mostly there is complete black-out in the mornings and evenings.

 “For two consecutive nights, there was no electricity in our locality,” said Muzamil Ahmad of Budgam.

 He said apart from newly announced curtailment schedule they were witnessing distress power cuts quite often.

 Chief Engineer PDD (MNRE) Muzaffar Ahmad Mattoo said the department was supplying 11 percent more power supply compared to last year.

 “If consumers don’t comply they can’t expect situation to improve,” Mattoo said.

Instead of load agreement of 800 MW, the PDD is supplying 1000 MW to 1100

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SA/EN