Srinagar Much to the delight of people in the Valley, the Power Development Department (PDD) on Wednesday said that there will be almost 70 per cent less power curtailment in Kashmir in the upcoming winters.
Earlier, the government had stated that efforts are on to ensure adequate electricity in Kashmir this winter.
Talking to Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Chief Engineer PDD, Aijaz Ahmad Dar said that the department has not finalized the power curtailment schedule for the winters yet saying that it will take a few more days to announce the schedule.
He added that the power curtailment schedule has been almost finalized for many districts. “I was in north Kashmir yesterday where we are short of grid supply,” he said, adding that he has directed the officials there to take appropriate action in this regard.
Dar further added that in Srinagar, if the things would go in the right direction, the plan will be finalized tomorrow and announced accordingly.
He added that in last November, the department had issued a six-hour power curtailment plan for non-metered areas, but this year, the PDD will start with three hours curtailment. He further stated that in metered areas, there will be only two hours power curtailment in the beginning.
PDD Chief Engineer also stated at the end of last winter season, the department went ahead with an 8-hour curtailment schedule, but this year, there will be almost 70 per cent less power curtailment in Kashmir due to an increase in the availability of grid supply.
Appealing people to use electricity judiciously in morning and evening hours, PDD Chief Engineer said that if the people cooperated with the department, the power curtailment is expected to be less than what is proposed. “We are supplying double electricity to the people as per the agreement load, but they need to use the electricity judiciously so that things can continue to go well,” he added. (KNO)
