Srinagar: Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited (KPDCL) has implemented a revised power curtailment schedule across the Valley from October 17, with daily outages ranging from 30 minutes in areas with low power losses to eight hours in areas recording high Aggregate Technical and Commercial (AT&C) losses.
Under the revised plan, areas with AT&C losses exceeding 65 per cent will face eight hours of daily curtailment, while those with losses between 40.5 and 65 per cent will face six hours of power cuts. Areas with losses between 15 and 40.5 per cent will have three hours of daily curtailment, while those with losses of up to 15 per cent will face half an hour of cuts.
The feeder-wise schedule, covering Sub-Transmission Divisions across Kashmir, specifies curtailment timings based on feeder categories, including metered, cabled, essential and round-the-clock supply feeders.
In Srinagar city, feeders under STD-I and STD-II will face between 30 minutes and three hours of daily curtailment, depending on their category and scheduled supply status. Non-cabled and non-metered feeders in rural areas, including Pulwama, Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian, Ganderbal, Bandipora, Baramulla, Sopore, Kupwara and Budgam, will face six to eight hours of power cuts.
Essential services, including hospitals, Government Medical Colleges, SMHS Hospital, district hospitals and water supply schemes, have largely been kept outside the curtailment schedule or allotted up to 30 minutes of cuts. Industrial feeders, including those serving the Lassipora Industrial Estate, have been listed for zero curtailment.
KPDCL has also expanded the number of feeders receiving round-the-clock electricity. Of the 1,335 11-kV feeders under its jurisdiction, 85 additional feeders have been included in the 24-hour supply category, taking the total to 214. The newly included feeders have AT&C losses below 20 per cent.
The revised schedule comes as the department seeks to reduce distribution losses and improve billing and revenue collection efficiency.
In January, the Power Development Department had directed KPDCL and Jammu Power Distribution Corporation Limited to initiate strict action against officials of divisions and feeders recording AT&C losses above 40 per cent. The proposed measures included salary deductions of up to 50 per cent.
KPDCL has asked consumers to check the official feeder-wise schedule for the exact timings applicable to their areas.
Officials said the winter curtailment plan was being implemented amid rising electricity demand and limited power availability.
