Srinagar: Notwithstanding official claims about winter preparedness, the moderate snowfall of past two days have plunged many areas into darkness as hundreds of electricity feeders have developed technical snags.
News agency KNO quoted the Chief Engineer, Power Development Department (PDD), Aijaz Ahmad Dar as saying that around 80 transformers got damaged due to the snowfall while many among them have been lifted from the spot.
“We have adequate stock available and the damaged transformers will be replaced soon,” he said.
He also said since this morning a total of 427 feeders remain affected due to snowfall.
He said the men and machinery are already on job and some 382 feeders have already been repaired, while another 20-25 feeders will be restored by late evening.
“In case the snowfall stops, all the remaining feeders will be repaired by tomorrow,” he said, adding that the electricity across the Valley will be restored by tomorrow.
Dar also said that minor damages to electricity poles were also reported.
He said that a call centre has been recently established by the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, which helped the department to get complaints from the ground. He appealed people to contact on phone numbers 6006613506, 6006613507, 6006613508, 6006613509, 6006613510 numbers in case of any complaint.
Meanwhile, the melting of snow also inundated the roads, lanes and bi-lanes across Srinagar and other areas of the Valley, leaving the commuters as well as pedestrians to suffer at large.
Meanwhile, Mayor Srinagar Municipal Corporation held a meeting to take stock of the post-snowfall situation in the Srinagar city on various fronts.
During the meeting, Commissioner SMC claimed that some 3000 sanitation workers are on job since yesterday morning to clear snow from lanes and bylanes in the city. He also said snow clearance drive is being taken up in hospitals, religious places, ration depots, vital roads, major markets, city centre and other important stretches.
