As the mercury has started taking a nose dive, the frequent power cuts all over the Valley have becomes a norm. Reports pouring in from length and breadth of Kashmir Valley suggest that people are suffering as for as the electric power supply is concerned. With elected government assuming office, the people were expecting some betterment in the power scenario, however, what is being witnessed today seems an indication how bad the situation is going to be as mercury drops further and it snows here. 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 people, not only in rural areas, but in Srinagar and other major towns too are facing unannounced power cuts. It is true that during winters there emerges a huge gap between supply and demand and that current demand in Kashmir exceeds 2200 MW while as the allocation remains only 1500 MW, but it is the responsibility of the government to do away with this gap. During elections, tall claims were made about providing limited units of free electricity and now, while people are being made to pay through their noses, the thing that was promised “FREE’ is missing from villages as well as towns.
The power crisis during winters has all along been a chronic ailment troubling the people of Valley particularly those living in far flung villages. The governments, that be, have been promising moon and stars but have failed to ensure that during winters, Kashmiri house holds get proper supply of electricity. The incumbent government will have to walk extra mile and think of something out of box and in close coordination with Central Government, take steps to ensure 24X7 power supply during winters. Peoples’ welfare should be the top most priority of the present government as people have massively reposed their faith in this government by giving a huge mandate.
