Though people in Jammu & Kashmir hoped improvement in power supply during winter after unprecedented hike of 8-12% in power tariff rates from October onwards this year but not only unscheduled power cuts but intermittent power cuts even during the scheduled power supply hours do not head to any dead end as usual this winter also. Power supply worsening even a month before the commencement of the harshest 40 day long winter period called “ Chilla-i-Kalan” is an indication that more long duration power cuts can’t be ruled out in the harshest 40 day long period called “Chilla-i-Kalan” commencing from the first quarter of the next month (January). After the hike in power tariff rates by 8-12% the trends of power pilferage attempts have though unprecedentedly intensified in nook and corner of the valley because of an intense drive against power tariff defaulters and low paying capacity of the consumers in the payment of hiked power tariff bills but night squads of the power development department are not intensely carrying out nocturnal surprise inspections to atleast reduce the intensity of pilferage attempts by the power consumers. Though intensely increasing daily power outages after the commencement of winter this year is largely attributed to lack of infrastructural facilities required for improving power distribution system in Jammu & Kashmir but irrefutable fact is that the power generated in Jammu & Kashmir even after building more infrastructural facilities in distribution and transmission sectors of power during last two years by the incumbent Lt Governor led J&K Government is not sufficient enough to meet the increasing demands of power distribution in both urban and rural areas of Kashmir valley. Interestingly the Lt Governor Manoj Sinha even at his latest meeting with Union Power Minister has demanded more measures for building more infrastructural facilities in Transmission and Distribution (T&D) sectors of power to reduce the Aggregate Technical and Commercial (AT&C) losses and improving the quality and reliability of power supply to the people in Jammu & Kashmir. The Lt Governor’s proposals presented by him before the Union Power Minister in his latest meeting with him in New Delhi for upgrading the infrastructural facilities in Transmission and distribution sectors can’t however be pushed through and executed overnight.
- While the increasing gapes between the generation and the distribution do not head to any dead end in Kashmir Valley, checking the power pilferage attempts by the domestic consumers largely attributed to hike in power tariff by 8-12% in October this year is the only way to improve the power distribution system in the current disturbing power scenario in Kashmir valley. An intense inspection drive by the night squads to check the power pilferage attempts by consumers in the current disturbing power scenario is obviously the only way to reduce the present disturbances in the power distribution system .
Till new policy decisions on development of transmission and distribution sector are implemented the power outages can be best reduced only by improving the management of the power resources available presently with the Power Development Corporations Of Kashmir and Jammu in Kashmir and Jammu divisions respectively. What matters the most is the fact that demand of power supply has increased from over 9000 million units in 2004-05 to more than 21 thousand million units this year. While the increasing gapes between the generation and the distribution do not head to any dead end in Kashmir Valley, checking the power pilferage attempts by the domestic consumers largely attributed to hike in power tariff by 8-12% in October this year is the only way to improve the power distribution system in the current disturbing power scenario in Kashmir valley. An intense inspection drive by the night squads to check the power pilferage attempts by consumers in the current disturbing power scenario is obviously the only way to reduce the present disturbances in the power distribution system.
