600 MW electricity shortfall plunges Kashmir into darkness

Srinagar, Dec 21: Amid winter chill setting in with temperatures plummeting below minus degrees Celsius across Kashmir, the power crisis has exacerbated the winter hardships with prolonged power cuts making it hard for people to bear the chill.

The situation has reached a critical point, with Kashmir facing a severe 32 percent electricity deficit during peak evening hours.

Against the restricted demand of 1900 MW, Kashmir was allocated just 1300 MW, a shortfall of 600 MW, meaning a 32 percent power deficit during evening peak hours on Saturday.

According to Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited (KPDCL) data, the situation has forced the authorities to resort to load shedding across the region.

Of the total 2478 MW allocated to J&K, Kashmir receives 1308 MW while Jammu is allocated 1170 MW.

A senior KPDCL official said: “The crux of the power crisis is that we are not getting as much power as we require to deliver to our consumers, so there are shortages and load-shedding. During peak hours in the evening at 6 pm, from the total 36 power grids of Kashmir, 12 were shut because of an acute shortage.”

He noted an alarming gap between what the government promises and what reaches the system.

“The additional power supply announced by the government is not reaching our system. In summer, we consistently managed above 1300 MW, which was somewhat better, but this year, the situation has deteriorated,” the official said.

The requirement for electricity is bound to peak during these days as temperatures begin to fall below freezing points.

Therefore, it is critical to meet the consumers who rely on power to have basic heating and lighting.

The power crisis has interrupted daily life and given rise to serious health-related concerns among the elderly and children due to the unbearable coldness.

Businesses in general that rely on normal power supplies like hospitality industries and small manufacturing units, feel the sting of this crisis while some firms have had to settle for an expensive generator set as an alternative.

The crisis is particularly challenging as the region enters Chillai Kalan, the 40-day period notorious for its harsh winter conditions.

The power shortage has severely impacted daily life, raising health concerns, particularly among vulnerable populations such as the elderly and children.

Local businesses have been hit hard, with the hospitality sector and small manufacturing units forced to rely on expensive generator sets to maintain operations.

Residents, frustrated by unfulfilled promises of improvement, are demanding immediate action from authorities to address the widening power deficit.

Despite the growing crisis, the administration has yet to announce any concrete strategy to bridge the supply gap or ensure more equitable distribution during the remaining winter months, leaving Kashmir literally and figuratively in the cold during one of its harshest winters in recent memory.