Reports pouring in from length and breadth of Kashmir Valley suggest that people are suffering as for as the electric power supply is concerned. As the month of Ramzan has already started, people were expecting some betterment in the power scenario particularly during Sehri and Iftaar. However, no such relief seems coming their way. Though the power crisis in Kashmir, particularly during winters, is a chronic problem and respective governments have miserably failed to resolve the issue, in the month of Ramzan, the concerned authorities would try to take steps to ease the troubles of the populace at least by ensuring uninterrupted power supply in the evening when people break their fast and early morning while having Sehri. However, most of the area, particularly in rural Kashmir, are face to face with the crisis without any respite.
It was expected of the administration to rise up to the demands of the people by ensuring them all basic and effective amenities particulary the proper power supply but nothing of the sort is witnessed on the ground. Instead of addressing the issue and coming up with some reasonable explanation regarding the power pangs, the concerned authorities are busy accusing the people of power theft. Yes, one may not dispute that there are some people indulging in power theft but does that give a license to the concerned agency to punish the entire populace. And for that matter, who is responsible to check power theft? Not the common consumers but those who are being paid to do so. If still power theft takes place, why not to take action against those who are supposed to stop such thefts instead of punishing the public by erratic power cuts.
Instead of trying to silence the people by drumming up ‘power theft’, the authorities should seriously look into the matter and try to fix it. Reports suggest that the revenue collection from consumers by the concerned department has improved very much and this improvement should have reflected somewhere in the supply of power to the consumers. But it has not. Fact of the matter is that this winter people, particularly in rural areas, faced too much trouble on electricity front. It was hoped that authorities would have some sort of plan for the month of Ramzan, but seven days of the month are already gone and the electric supply remains as pathetic as it was. The government should take the issue on priority basis and do whatever it takes to ensure that people are supplied with sufficient electric current.
