As winter sets in, power cuts leave south Kashmir villages in the dark
Shopian, Oct 24: As the chill of early winter settles over south Kashmir, residents of several villages are again battling long and unscheduled power cuts — a seasonal crisis that shows no sign of easing.
On Friday morning, residents of Chowhan Mohalla in Chotipora village, Shopian, took to the streets to protest against erratic electricity supply in their area. The villagers, including women and the elderly, blocked the main road and accused the Kashmir Power Development Corporation Limited (KPDCL) of neglect and poor management.
“Despite paying hefty electricity bills, we don’t get regular power,” said a woman protester.
“We are forced to cook on smoke chullas again,” she added, referring to the traditional wood-fired stoves families rely on during extended blackouts.
Residents said the supply has been highly irregular, with long, unscheduled cuts both day and night. “We barely get electricity for a few hours, and that too at low voltage,” said another villager. “We can’t even iron our children’s school uniforms.”
The demonstration disrupted traffic for some time before the protesters dispersed peacefully.
Locals said that every winter, the electricity situation worsens, particularly in rural and far-flung areas. “Power supply remains one of the biggest issues during winters,” said Mubashir Ahmad from nearby Chitragam.
“Urban areas may get some relief, but villages like ours face outages lasting several hours.”
In Pulwama’s Sangrwani area, residents complained of both low voltage and long evening cuts. “There’s no electricity during peak evening hours, between 6 p.m. and 10 pm, when families need it the most,” said Mohammad Hussain Chichi.
Officials attributed the worsening situation to reduced hydroelectric generation caused by plummeting water levels in rivers and reservoirs during winter.
“Power generation from Kashmir’s hydropower projects has fallen by nearly 45 percent this season,” said an official, adding that load-shedding was being carried out to manage the shortfall.
However, residents say official explanations bring little comfort. “We pay our bills, yet every winter we live in darkness,” said a frustrated Shopian villager.
