Afaq Bhat
Srinagar, Jan 26: Despite Kashmir receiving heavy spells of snowfall this month, electricity didn’t bother the people as efforts put by the Power Department bore fruits.
An official while talking to Precious Kashmir said, “We had made preparations well in advance and were following the weather updates regularly. We had done our homework and that’s how we succeeded in ensuring no power disruptions amidst snowfall.”
“Power cuts during snowfall used to be a routine in the past. Even a few inches of snow used to plunge Valley into darkness for days together. But this year situation has been altogether different,” an observer said.
He said, “Other departments should take a cue from the Power Department. How the officials coordinated with their field staff and ensured that faults are rectified before these turn into bigger disruptions.”
The observer said, “The Power Department succeeded in keeping our homes illuminated due to proper planning and execution. The electricity not playing hide and seek during Chillai Kalan is a big achievement for the Power Department. The officials and the field staff need to be appreciated for their hard work and dedication.”
Principal Secretary Power Department Rohit Kansal while hailing the role of the filed staff shared a photograph of a lineman amidst snowfall on his official twitter handle and tweeted: “It is colleagues like Riyaz who have made us proud this winter. May your tribe increase.”
A lineman of the Power Department Manzoor Ahmed said, “Before the winter commenced this year were asked by our higher ups to cut the branches of the trees. We were told to check the HT wires and the transformers in different localities. We carried an extensive exercise probably for the first time during all these years. That exercise helped us to rectify the faults quickly. Another factor which prevented the areas from plunging into darkness was that this time around backup transformers were ready. If the transformer developed a technical snag in any area, it was rectified within no time.”
He said, “Our way at looking things has changed. Earlier whenever snowfall used to commence we used to take a back seat and sit till the snowing stopped. But this year we remained on our toes and didn’t wait for snowfall to end. We kept on repairing faults as and when they occurred.”
Ahmed said, “Recent spells of snowfall have taught us many things. We have learnt that we don’t have to wait and need to act immediately. This has been a big reason of Power Department’s success during this winter.”
