Power cuts leave Kashmiris in cold

Srinagar, Nov 27: Despite government assurances of enhanced power supply, the residents of Kashmir continue to grapple with unscheduled power cuts, exacerbating their struggles as winter intensifies.Complaints are mounting from both metered and non-metered areas, with locals alleging that outages are more frequent and prolonged than the announced schedules.Kashmir Power Development Corporation Limited (KPDCL) had declared 4.5 hours of scheduled outages in metered areas and 6 hours in non-metered zones.However, residents report that the reality is far bleaker.“In Rawalpora, we received electricity for less than 6 hours on Tuesday,” said a resident. “What’s the point of metered connections if we face the same, if not worse, conditions as non-metered areas? The situation becomes unbearable, especially with children and elderly family members at home.”In Chanapora, another metered area, residents voiced similar concerns.“The cuts are frequent and entirely unpredictable,” said Rubina, a homemaker. “We can’t even plan our daily chores. The cold makes it worse because most of our heating devices depend on electricity.”According to KPDCL, the problem lies in the mismatch between supply and demand.The current allocation to Kashmir is around 1500 MW, far short of the unrestricted demand exceeding 2200 MW.A senior official explained, “The supply remains consistent throughout the year, but winter brings a surge in consumption due to the use of crude heating gadgets, hooking, and power thefts. Over 65% of our consumers are unmetered, making most feeders financially unsustainable.”As part of its efforts to address the crisis, KPDCL has launched inspection drives to monitor and regulate consumer installations.However, officials blame the widespread use of inefficient and unauthorized devices for overloading the system.“These crude gadgets and heaters cause significant strain on distribution transformers (DTs), leading to frequent breakdowns,” the official said. “Every day, more than 40 transformers are damaged due to overloads. Repairing or replacing them disrupts the supply further, creating a vicious cycle.”KPDCL has also appealed to the public to use electricity responsibly.“It’s not just about the inconvenience caused by outages,” the official said. “Overloading damages the infrastructure, affecting everyone. If we want uninterrupted supply, consumers must ensure their usage aligns with sanctioned parameters.”The persistent outages have also disrupted businesses.“My bakery depends on electric ovens. The unscheduled cuts ruin our production schedules and add to our losses. We are left with no option but to rely on expensive alternatives like generators,” said Feroz Ahmad, who runs a bakery.