Though the enforcement of 8 and 12 hour power cuts a day in metered and non metered areas respectively announced by Kashmir Power Development Corporation Ltd (KPDC) started from the last week of October this year with a promise to avoid unscheduled power cuts, but increasing unscheduled power cuts witnessed in a short span of two weeks have taken the power cuts schedule from 8 to 12 hours in metered areas and 12 to 16 hours in non metered areas. This year grievance of consumers is not only about unscheduled power cuts but also about reduced voltage which has started haunting consumers from the very last week of October this year. May be that Kashmir Power Development Corporation Ltd (KPDCL) is within it’s right to attribute this year’s increasing power cuts both in metered and non metered areas to this year’s unprecedented dry spell but it does not give KPDCL a license to reduce power supply in metered and non metered areas to just 12 and 8 hours a day respectively. Fact remains that people in valley are also within their rights to say that though the harshest period of winter called “Chilla-i-Kalan” is still a month away but power cuts rising unprecedentedly to 12 hours a day in metered areas and 16 hours a day in non metered areas before the commencement of peak winter periods has started taking heavy toll of both the commercial and non-commercial consumers. In fact people would be happy if both Kashmir Power Development Corporation Ltd (KPDCL) and as well as Jammu Power Development Corporation Ltd (JPDCL) would segregate domestic and commercial power connections for the purposes of smoothening the power distribution system in Jammu & Kashmir. While unscheduled power cuts don’t only disturb the delivery essential services in hospitals besides putting consumers particularly students to a great deal of inconvenience, they also take a heavy toll of business operations during peak winter months in Kashmir valley.
“Unfortunately even the consumers brought on pre-paid billing mode under smart metering system don’t get the power as per the curtailment schedule of KPDL not to talk about commitment of round the clock power supply to such consumers. More over Urban-Rural inequalities in power distribution system be it the matter of unscheduled power cuts or the reduced voltage during winters is yet another area left unattended and unaddressed by the KPDCL in Kashmir and JPDCL in Jammu”.
Previously the inability of the J&K Power Development Department to buy more power from the Power Grid Corporation and purchase more gas turbines as well was attributed to non cooperation in collection of power tariff bill by the consumers in both Kashmir Valley and as well as Jammu division but after brining 50% of J&K under metering system there is very little scope left for either the KPDCL or JPDCL to blame revenue loss for it’s inability to reduce increasing power cuts in either Kashmir Valley or Jammu division. Unfortunately even the consumers brought on pre-paid billing mode under smart metering system don’t get the power as per the curtailment schedule of KPDL not to talk about commitment of round the clock power supply to such consumers. More over Urban-Rural inequalities in power distribution system be it the matter of unscheduled power cuts or the reduced voltage during winters is yet another area left unattended and unaddressed by the KPDCL in Kashmir and JPDCL in Jammu.
