The new electricity curtailment schedule likely to be approved by the Power Development Department (PDD) for the Kashmir division seems to represent a sensible and practical approach to maintaining long-term stability within the power sector.
While the initial reaction to an increase in Scheduled Load Shedding (SLS) may be concern, on closer examination, this plan establishes a framework that not only addresses the needs of all citizens but also addresses the need for creating a more reliable and stable power supply.
The most important feature of this proposed schedule is its focus on identifying the cause of the problem. The identification of the location of the highest Arithmetic Total & Commercial (AT&C) Losses allows the PDD to make targeted changes to the way that power is distributed and avoid the use of stopgap measures that have historically created increased incidences of outages.
As stated above, the objective of this new program is to work collaboratively with the various communities that it affects to establish a clear connection between their collective responsibility for the delivery of power and the quality of the services they receive.
In that sense, the PDD has created a mutually beneficial environment in which communities can work together to reduce their AT&C losses, create regularized connections, pay their bills promptly and enjoy a substantial improvement in their power supply.
In this way, the SLS initiative provides a model for communities to take ownership of their electrical supply, rather than merely be subject to it.
Rather than complaining about problems with the outage of electricity, communities can now be empowered to take action to reduce the amount of energy that they lose as a result of AT&C losses and to benefit from those actions by creating a more stable and reliable electricity supply.
The changes to this schedule indicate a commitment to the many responsible Consumers paying their bills on time and that they have provided subsidy payments to many businesses through inefficiencies and malpractice.
As of now, those responsible Consumers will be able to see some degree of fairness in having access to equal amounts of money as the Department’s financial situation becomes better over time.
The money that is saved will allow the Department to invest in modern transformers, build new distribution lines, and add generation capacity.
This new billing schedule does not represent the ending point, but rather a new way of establishing how to accomplish our ultimate end goal of providing uninterrupted, high quality, 24 hour/7 day service to every Home and Business in Kashmir.
If the improved Policies can be supported by all involved, we can take advantage of the opportunity to build a strong, fair and equitable Power Sector that will benefit the Growth of the Region.
