People in Ganderbal district Sunday said that with the onset of the winter the district was witnessing unscheduled power cuts.
They said that the district despite having three power projects was witnessing the worst power scenario in the region.
In the major towns of Ganderbal, Lar, Kangan, Tulmulla and Gund, unscheduled power cuts have increased especially during the evening hours.
“Instead of ensuring regular power supply, the Power Development Department is resorting to forced cuts,” said Nisar Ahmed, a Ganderbal resident.
Residents of various areas in Ganderbal district said that their areas were witnessing repeated power cuts, both in the mornings and evenings.
“We spend evenings in complete darkness,” said a resident of Gund.
People said that both metered and non-metered areas were witnessed power cuts.
They said that the unscheduled curtailments were hampering the studies of their children preparing for different exams.
Locals said that the receiving station at Sumbal should be upgraded by installing a new transformer to augment it further.
Executive Engineer PDD, Ganderbal, Aftab Ahmad told Greater Kashmir that they would ensure that Ganderbal was provided power supply as per the schedule across the Valley.
He said PDD had to opt for a few additional cuts due to overloading of some feeders and system constraints.
“We urge the people to cooperate and not indulge in misuse of power by using high-voltage electronic gadgets including heaters and boilers during peak hours so that power supply is provided as per schedule,” Ahmad said.