'16-Hour Long Power Cuts': Kashmir Faces Unprecedented Crisis
New Delhi: Electricity production in Kashmir has hit a record low of 50-100 MegaWatts (MWs) against the demand of 1800 MWs.
As a result, the valley, home to over 70 lakh people, is facing 12-16 hour long power cuts – the longest in the last two decades, the Hindu reported.
These cuts have come at a time when the temperatures in the valley have dropped below 0°C.
According to the report, Kashmir requires 1800 MW of power to maintain electricity supply for 16 hours a day. For round-the-clock supply, 2200 to 2300 MWs is required.
The Power Development Department (PDD) this winter has only been able to produce 50-100 MWs a day as opposed to 200-250 MWs in the past. To meet the deficit, power was purchased from the Northern Grid and power cuts were reduced to six to four hours by previous regimes, the report said.
A PDD official told the paper that this year’s production has been hit by a prolonged dry spell in Kashmir accompanied by freezing temperatures in November which further slowed down the waster discharge in rivers like the Jhelum.
In addition to impacting the elderly, the power cuts are posing a significant challenge to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients, whose numbers go up during the winters, the paper reported.
“My father, who is in his 70s, is a COPD patient. We had to buy a generator so that his oxygen concentrator machine runs without disruptions. I don’t think all families can afford generators. Prolonged power cuts are a death knell for such patients,” Imtiyaz Khan, a showroom owner from Srinagar’s Lal Bazaar, told the Hindu. Students appearing for their year-end examinations are also facing great difficulty.
At present, the government purchases 1150 MWs but still falls short by 650 MWs, the report said.
“We have to fix responsibility. Why didn’t officers raise an alarm about dip in water discharge and prepare a proposal to purchase from the Northern Grid. This crisis did not happen overnight. There was a prolonged dry spell for all of us to observe. If there was an elected government such a crisis would not have happened and the responsibility would have been fixed,” J&K Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari told the Hindu. “It’s collective punishment. The L-G should go to Delhi and seek help from the Centre,” Bukhari said.
The Lieutenant Governor’s administration is said to have set up a committee to purchase electricity from the Northern Grid, as hospitals are beginning to face the brunt of the power cut. However, the cost per unit at the Northern Grid at present is Rs 42 against Rs. 3-4 being charged from consumers in J&K.
Several leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) also held a street protest at the party headquarters in Srinagar over the power crisis, the Hindu reported.
In response to the public outcry against power cuts, divisional commissioner, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar Bidhuri said the situation is expected to improve within a week. “The power schedule announced earlier is not being adhered to as demand has abruptly gone up due to the early onset of winter. We are expecting an improvement in the power scenario as Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and the Chief Secretary have constituted a committee for power purchase,” he told the Hindu.
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