Unscheduled power cuts irk Sopore residents

Sopore, Jan 28: Unscheduled power cuts in Sopore and its adjacent areas are giving a tough time to the residents by affecting their life and business.

Locals expressed strong resentment against PDD for failing to provide scheduled power supply to their localities in this bone chilling cold winter.

The residents of various localities including Arampora, Mahrajpora, Aadipora, Noor bagh, jamiaQadeem, Amargrah, Saidpora, brathkalan, and other nearby areas of this north Kashmir town alleged that they are reeling under hours of power cuts daily and despite repeated requests to the PDD department no attention was provided towards their plight.

“We are facing hardships due to the pesky power cuts especially during night hours. If PDD is unable to provide uninterrupted scheduled power supply then they don’t have the right to charge us for electricity, ” saidKhazir Mohammad, a local resident of Noor Bagh.

The frequent power cuts have also badly affected the business community and students adversely, said Qaiser Ahmad, another resident of Sopore. He said that frequent power cuts make life difficult during the freezing cold.

Residents appealed LG and district administration to look into the matter. Meanwhile, the residents of GanaieMohalla of Amargrah area of Sopore on Saturday held a peaceful protest, demanding upgradation of their existing transformer installed in their area.

Protesters while shouting slogans against PDD outside their office here in Sopore said that the existing transformer in their locality develops technical snags frequently due to which residents are suffering. They alleged that for the last four years the concerned officials of PDD are playing a blame game. They said they have been taking up their issue with SE PDD and with the other concerned officials but to no avail.

One local resident, Farooq Ahmad Ganaie, said that during the last four years, the transformer got damaged many times and the locals, especially the students, had to face a tough time. He said that there are around 200 households that are getting supply from the existing transformer but due to heavy load, especially during winters, the transformer remains mostly defunct.

The residents demanded upgradation of the existing transformer installed in their locality which is very near to the grid station AmargarhSopore. They also appealed to the district administration and LG of J&K UT to look into the matter at an earliest so as the residents should not face more hardships.

Meanwhile, an official in PDD Sopore said that they will look into the matter.