Lights Out, Lies Out: Kashmir Demands Answers for Crippling Power Cuts
Srinagar: The power crisis in Kashmir has reached alarming levels, with the valley facing the worst-ever electricity shortage this spring season. The residents are being subjected to prolonged outages ranging from 10 to 14 hours per day as the allocated power supply has dipped to a mere 1000 megawatts (MW).
According to a senior official from the Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited (KPDCL), Kashmir requires a minimum of 1800 MWs to meet the demand as per the curtailment schedule currently in place.
However, the corporation is receiving only an estimated allocation of 1000 MW, forcing it to resort to extensive load shedding. “We have no choice but to impose power cuts lasting 10 to 14 hours daily across the valley,” the official said, highlighting the severity of the crisis.
Even the areas designated by the KPDCL to receive round-the-clock power supply have not been spared. Over 40 feeders in these areas have been subjected to outages ranging from 5 to 6 hours per day, leaving residents and businesses reeling.
The crisis has put the KPDCL in an “embarrassing situation”, according to a senior KPDCL engineer, who expressed frustration over the authorities’ failure to procure additional power despite the corporation’s efforts to increase revenue and implement smart metering. “On one hand, we have upped the revenue, and smart metering is going on, but the authorities at the helm are not buying additional power to meet the demand,” the official said. “As a result, we have to face the ire of the people, who are rightfully aggrieved because, in areas where there is 100 percent cabling and no losses, they are paying their bills, but we are still imposing load shedding on them.”
The unprecedented power crisis is affecting daily life and economic activities across the Valley, with businesses and essential services bearing the brunt of the outages. The residents have expressed frustration over the prolonged power cuts, which have become a regular occurrence during the spring season, typically a period of relative respite from energy woes.
The worsening power crisis in Kashmir has drawn sharp criticism from Kashmir’s business community. Prominent trade bodies like the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) and the Kashmir Trades Alliance (KTA) have voiced grave concerns, saying that the prolonged outages are severely hampering economic activities across the valley.
These organisations have highlighted how businesses, both large and small, are bearing the brunt of the erratic power supply, leading to disruptions in operations, loss of productivity, and financial setbacks. The KCCI and KTA have urged the authorities to take immediate measures to address the crisis, emphasising that a reliable and consistent power supply is crucial for sustaining and fostering economic growth in Kashmir.
They have also called for long-term strategies to be implemented, including augmenting power generation capacity, diversifying energy sources, and improving the overall infrastructure to prevent such crises from recurring in the future. Last week, the KPDCL acknowledged the situation, attributing it to limited power availability.
“Due to limited power availability, there has been an unavoidable increase in power curtailment. These restrictions will be eased once power availability improves. Please bear with us and ensure judicious use of power, especially during peak hours. Avoid exceeding sanctioned loads or hooking,” KPDCL wrote on microblogging site X.
A Symphony of Silence: Broken Dreams and Disrupted Lives
The constant hum of electricity, a ubiquitous soundtrack of modern life, has been replaced by an unsettling silence in countless homes and businesses across Kashmir. Imagine a young student yearning to complete their homework before an exam, forced to grapple with the frustration of a darkened computer screen. Their dreams of academic success are put on hold, replaced by the harsh reality of an unreliable power supply. This disruption extends to businesses, the lifeblood of the valley’s economy. Restaurants struggle to keep food fresh without proper refrigeration, while workshops and markets fall eerily silent, their economic potential stifled by the darkness.
Broken Promises and Unanswered Calls: A Frustration That Boils Over
The people of Kashmir are no strangers to promises of development. Year after year, pronouncements of a robust power infrastructure echo through the valley, only to dissipate into the thin mountain air. Meanwhile, residents face a staggering increase in electricity tariffs, adding insult to injury. The frustration is palpable. The silence from the authorities is perhaps the most infuriating aspect of this crisis. Who is accountable for this ongoing torment? When will these daily blackouts cease to be a torture for the people of Kashmir? Residents feel unheard, their pleas for a basic necessity falling on deaf ears.
A Glimmer of Hope: Harnessing Nature’s Bounty
Kashmir, with its vast hydroelectric potential and abundant wind and solar resources, holds the key to a brighter future. Investing in renewable energy solutions represents not just a temporary fix, but a strategic step towards a sustainable and independent energy future. Imagine wind farms harvesting the energy of the valley’s strong winds, or solar panels capturing the abundant sunshine, transforming these resources into clean and reliable power. This not only addresses the immediate crisis but also paves the way for a future free from dependence on fossil fuels and the vagaries of the existing grid.
