Unscheduled power cuts worsen Kashmir’s winter woes

Srinagar, Nov 25: As the winter chill envelops Kashmir, it brings with it a persistent and familiar problem – prolonged and unscheduled power cuts.

The residents and businesses are voicing their frustration over the erratic electricity supply, which has become a significant hurdle in daily life and economic activities.

According to officials from the Kashmir Power Development Corporation Limited (KPDCL), the Valley's unrestricted power demand has surged to 2200 MW, while the supply lags at around 1500 MW.

The gap widens during peak evening hours when the demand escalates, compelling the department to resort to frequent load-shedding.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah recently acknowledged the impending power crisis, advising citizens to brace for outages in winter.

In metered areas, where residents had hoped for uninterrupted power, frustration is mounting.

Sharing the dire consequences for his family, Waseem Ahmad, a resident of Nowshera said: “Despite living in a metered area, we face frequent power cuts. My father, who suffers from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), relies on an oxygen concentrator. These erratic outages pose serious risks to his health.”

Junaid Ahmad, a Lal Bazar resident, highlighted the plight of rooftop solar plants.

“The government promotes solar power, and I installed a 7-kilowatt solar plant. However, the frequent outages render it ineffective, undermining the very claims of sustainable energy promotion,” he said.

The business community is equally affected, with power outages exacerbating their struggles during the short daylight hours of winter.

President, Kashmir Trade Alliance (KTA), Aijaz Shahdhar, expressed dismay over the mounting financial losses.

“The situation is unbearable for the business sector. These power cuts severely disrupt operations, especially for small and medium enterprises already battling economic challenges,” he said.

Shahdhar also criticised the administration for failing to install smart meters in unmetered areas, saying, “Authorities unfairly blame residents for the lack of smart meters. It is ironic to hold consumers accountable when it is the administration that has failed to fulfil its responsibilities.”

Chief Engineer of KPDCL, Aaquib Sultana, explained that the rising electricity demand is putting immense pressure on the grid.

“The unrestricted power demand has increased manifold this winter. We are working on a curtailment schedule to address the crisis,” she said. “Under the proposed schedule, metered areas will face 4.5 hours of daily power cuts, and non-metered areas, especially those with loss-making feeders, will endure up to 6 hours of outages.”