Srinagar, June 22: Reminding people of the Chillai Kalan era darkness in the Valley, the Power Development Department (PDD) has started unscheduled drastic electricity cuts in Kashmir, besides enforcing the normal curtailment schedule.
While PDD publicly announced, “distress curtailment” in Jammu, in the Valley it is resorting to drastic unscheduled power cuts without making the “revised” curtailment schedule public. It is perhaps for the first time in the recent past that Kashmir valley is being subjected to such a pesky curtailment schedule during the summers.
Well placed sources told Greater Kashmir that throwing the original power supply schedule to winds, the PDD has started resorting to additional electricity cuts for the last two weeks, plunging entire Valley into further darkness. “The Department without informing the people has gone for 2-3 hour additional cuts in unmetered areas and one hour cut in the metered areas since last fortnight,” sources said adding that the present power cut in metered areas is around 8 to 10 hours.
Pertinently, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had yesterday asked public to pay market price for electricity or face load shedding. Already, the unmetered areas are subjected to three evening and two nightlong cuts during a week while the metered areas undergo one evening cut and three day cuts during a week as per the schedule announced by PDD on December 25 last year. Despite State Electricity Regulatory Commission directive, PDD has failed to implement the order SERC order on revisiting the curtailment schedule.
While in Jammu, government informed the masses about rotational curtailment on June 16, however, no such announcement was made in the valley.
“Chief Engineer System and Operational Wing has informed that in order to combat the situation arisen due to low frequency and to maintain the gird discipline, the department is forced to resort to rotational curtailment as and when distress call is received from SLDC or NRLDC. The department informs that the situation is unavoidable and therefore, consumers are requested to bear with the department and use electricity judiciously,” the handout issued by the government regarding extra cuts in Jammu province reads.
The residents of different  areas of city including  Baghat Barzulla, Chanapora, Nowhatta, Dalgate, Sannatnagar, Hyderpora, Mandar Bagh, Gaw Kadal, Soura, Rajbagh and  Chanapora alleged that they are facing additional power outages three to four times daily, besides the normal curtailment.
“This is the time when electricity should comfort us as summer is simmering but it is unfortunate that government has ordered the other way. What development is this government talking about? It is a manufacturer of misery and discomfort for the people. And this time we will not take it the way they direct us to take it. There is rather going to be a serious contemplation of policy otherwise we would take to streets,” said Nazir Ahmed, a resident of Barzulla.
The situation of electricity supply is no different in north Kashmir  districts of Baramulla, Kupwara, Bandipora  and south Kashmir districts of Pulwama, Islamabad (Anantnag), Shopian and central Kashmir districts of Budgam and Ganderbal as these areas are subjected to  frequent extra cuts.

PDD SPEAK
When contacted, Chief Engineer PDD Muzaffar Ahmad Mattoo admitted that PDD is going for 45 minute to one hour extra curtailment.
“We resort to distress curtailment as per the requirement and this is primarily due to reduction of electricity production across the country and decrease in generation of electricity by local power houses,” he said.
Chief Engineer System and Operations Gul Ayaz said:  “We go for extra cuts only when there is gap between schedule and demand.”
Ayaz added that power shortage is pan-India phenomenon and is not only felt in Jammu & Kashmir.
“Across the India, there are extra power cuts due to less thermal generation,” he said.
He, however, added that energy supplied to the Valley during this summer is 4-5 percent more than corresponding period of last year.
When asked, why people here were not informed about fresh curtailments in the Valley, Ayaz said there is no need of publicizing the move as it is temporary move.
"If people reduce load and use power judiciously, there would is no need of these cuts," he added.

Lastupdate on : Fri, 22 Jun 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 22 Jun 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 23 Jun 2012 00:00:00 IST