Protests erupt in Pattan area over persistent power outages

Baramulla, June 19: The residents of Buran Pattan in north Kashmir's Baramulla district staged a protest on Wednesday against the Power Development Department (PDD) over the frequent power disruption in the area.

The protesters, both men and women, assembled in the area and raised slogans against the pathetic power situation.

While highlighting the issue, the protesters said that the transformer currently serving their area is of inadequate capacity, unable to support the load of the households. They said this has resulted in frequent power outages, leaving the villagers in darkness for most of the time.

"Every time the transformer develops a fault, it gets repaired but soon develops snags again," said Fayaz Ahmad, a local resident. "Even during the Eid festival, we were left without power. This problem has been continuing for several months, and the department shows little concern for our plight," he added.

The power crisis has had a ripple effect, severely impacting the water supply as well. Locals said that the lack of electricity has badly hit the drinking water supply, also exacerbating the hardships faced by the locals.

The agitating residents said that they have been raising this issue off and on with the concerned department and all the time they are given assurance that the matter will be solved soon, however, there has been no forward movement till date.

“Despite paying hefty electricity bills we are deprived of the power supply. The area needs a transformer of high capacity so that it can withstand load,” said the locals here.