Power Shortage During Ramzan Irks People in Kashmir

Srinagar: People in Kashmir are grappling with one of the worst power crises in years during the onset of summer as power outages mark the holy month of Ramadan dampening the spirit in the region.

Locals across the valley complained of unscheduled power cuts throughout days especially during Sehri, a time for pre-dawn meals, and Iftaar, when Muslims are supposed to break their fast.

“Power cuts in Kashmir are nothing new, but have never seen such worst and frequent cuts in the holy month of Ramadan especially during Sehri and Iftaar. I hope the Lt Governor’s administration will ensure electricity at least now for last 10 days of this holy month,” said Muhammad Abdullah, a resident of Srinagar.

Expressing dismay over frequent power cuts another local Mehran Reshi accused the administration of “failure” to provide uninterrupted power supply during the holy month, something that the authorities had claimed.

“During previous years, power supply during Sehri and Iftar used to be the priority of the Power Development Department (PDD). However, in present times it seems the PDD and the administration sleep during the time of Sehri and Iftar,” added Mehran, a member of a local political party.

The administration has directed the Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited (KPDCL) to ensure uninterrupted power supply to the people during Sehri and Iftari hours in the Valley ahead of Ramzan. In some areas, however, the locals claim that electricity outage continues for hours while many claim that they witness at least one power cut after every two hours. According to them, power supply is getting worse and is leading to serious inconvenience to consumers.
 
In a joint statement members of Muttahida Majlis-e-Ulema (MMU) Jammu and Kashmir, a conglomerate of over 20 regional social and religious organisations like Anjuman Auqaf Jama Masjid Srinagar, have expressed resentment over the severe difficulties being faced by people in holy month of Ramadan due to unscheduled and frequent power cuts, especially during the Sehri and Iftar times, and also the water scarcity in several areas.

"In the past, governments and administrations tried to facilitate the people during Ramadan, but the harrowing experiences that are unfolding in this holy month are painful and worrying," the body said.

Power cuts have increased throughout the country as utilities’ coal inventories are at the lowest pre-summer levels, according to reports citing officials, in nearly a decade while electricity demand is expected to rise in at least 38 years. Other states grappling with power shortage are Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab, Jharkhand and Haryana.

That it is not a problem limited to Kashmir, Javed Yousuf Dar, Chief Engineer, KPDCL, said.

“It has nothing to with Ramadan. Our demand is 1,000 MWs till 3 a.m, which peaks to 1,650 MWs during Sehri time. As a result, we have to resort to power curtailments. This year, the summer has set early and there is also a coal supply issue to thermal stations," the official was quoted as saying by a local news agency.

A former minister and senior Apni Party leader Ghulam Hassan Mir in a statement said it is disturbing to see that most parts of the Valley face electricity outages after every hour or so. “The frequent interruption in the power supply leads people to suffer and makes it difficult to follow their obligatory religious routine. This is a clear sign of an “irresponsible” approach on behalf of the authorities concerned,” Mir said.

The fresh power crisis in the region comes two months after a similar outage was caused due to heavy damage in power supply lines earlier in February.