In the next week or so, Jammu and Kashmir Power Development Corporation Limited is expected to come up with an annual curtailment schedule for winter. Even as one hopes for zero reduction, there is unlikely that there shall be no curtailment. It is rather the beginning of what challenges await the people of Kashmir as winter gets harsher. Given the claims of improvement, there is hoping that that curtailment schedule would not be long enough. As per official dictum, the “unrestricted load” is going up and a gap in supply which leads to the curtailments.
The water level in the rivers recedes and in effect the generation of power decreases substantially and as a consequence, distribution systems get burdened
The past winters have been harsher in terms of curtailments. The people had to bear long evening cuts running for five hours per day, in addition to night long besides morning and day cuts every week on rotational basis.
Official claims there have been improvements including increasing the power generation and reducing transmission losses. To some extent the power scenario has improved and hopefully it would be such that would satisfy the needs of the people.
The importance or dependency on electricity is simply more in contemporary times than the past when people would do with burning woods or utilize charcoal differently.
Routines of life are determined by the supply of electricity. Almost all aspects of life are reliant on power. The household chores are now entirely dependent on electricity. The administration must bear that this is the season for examination, and students have to put in extra effort in their studies which is inevitably dependent on light. Without electricity, everything turns upside down.
For people associated with small and big industries, the power cuts have a telling bearing on their businesses.
Given the importance, the frequent and unscheduled power cuts are nothing short of violating the basic requirements of life.
As has been rightly underscored by the Lieutenant Governor during a recent meeting on preparedness, there is a need for taking “preemptive plans” for emergencies arising out of weather vagaries. There is a need to ensure that a robust mechanism is in place to minimize disruptions of essential services to the public.
Fingers are crossed that the JKPDCL does not come up with a curtailment schedule that runs for longer durations.
