Srinagar, Jan 24: Apni Party leader Nazir Ahmad Yatoo Monday said that the unscheduled power cuts across Kashmir division had created immense problems for the people especially in the harsh chill of winter.
In a statement issued here, Yatoo asserted that while the Power Development Department (PDD) had already introduced numerous hikes in electricity bills from the last several years, providing uninterrupted electricity to the consumers still remains a distant dream.
“The people are grappling with unscheduled power cuts even though the PDD had earlier issued a new curtailment schedule which is being scarcely followed. However, since the snowfall in various parts of Kashmir division many far-flung areas have been plunged into pitch darkness. The people living at such places have to face immense inconveniences in the middle of the winter,” he said.Yatoo urged the PDD to ensure that power supply was maintained round the clock besides dispatching the teams to areas where necessary repairs were needed on an immediate basis.
Yatoo said that the hydropower generating companies running various projects in J&K were earning a huge revenue but in the meantime such companies were obligated to spend a margin of their profits in the areas of their operation under the guideline of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
“The Independent Power Producers (IPPs) like Chandigarh based PNR group has constructed a Mini Hydro Electric power plant in Branwar area of Charar-i-Sharief under the Build Own Operate and Transfer (BOOT) agreement. The company has utterly failed to fulfill its promise of delivering subsidized power to the local residents and neither has it spent its CSR funds for the welfare of the local populace. While the Power Department has increased power tariffs exponentially, the people in the area still yearn for uninterrupted electricity,” he said.