Pulwama/Shopian DIARY

Power curtailments irk Tral residents

The residents of Tral area in south Kashmir's Pulwama district have complained of long power outages in the area.

According to the residents, the area has been experiencing protracted power cuts over the last few weeks.  They said that the recurring power cuts with the onset of winters have become a norm in the area, causing immense problems to them.

"Patients who are put on oxygen have to press generators into service in the absence of a seamless power supply", said a resident.

He said that it was sheer injustice that they have to bear the brunt of long power cuts despite footing their power bills in time.

In the absence of seamless power supply, many residents have begun buying the power inverters.

A local shopkeeper who deals in electrical appliances told Greater Kashmir that there was good sale of inverters ahead of winters in the area.

Chitragam village faces poor internet service

The residents of Chitragam village in south Kashmir's Shopian district have complained of poor internet service provided by private operator Jio.

Ashiq Hussain, a resident, said that the internet speed in the area sometimes gets reduced to 2G.

"The speed is too low, particularly in the evening," Hussain said.

He said that the apple traders from the area face many problems in making digital payments.

"The payments repeatedly fail due to poor internet service," Hussain said.

Amir Fayaz, another resident, said that the problem has persisted for over two weeks.

He said that the students also suffered due to the poor internet service in the area.  The residents appealed to the service provider to fix the issue.

Wahibugh village residents irked over receiving contaminated water

The turbid piped water supplied to Wahibugh village, 4 km from Pulwama town, has irked the residents.  The residents said that the water supplied to the village was not fit for consumption.

"There is high turbidity in the tap water. It is not even suitable for doing laundry and dishes, let alone drinking," said Nazir Ahmad, a resident.

Ahmad said that the women have to struggle hard to manage their daily chores without clean water.

Another resident said that a threat of water borne diseases looms large over the area. "We are forced to drink unclean water and it could trigger diseases like Hepatitis A," he said.

The residents appealed to the authorities to supply the area with pure drinking water.

Executive Engineer Jal Shakti Department could not be reached for his comments. However, an official from the department said that they would look into the matter.