Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Nov 27: As security forces have intensified anti-militancy operations, lack of electricity during evening and night hours is many a times hampering operations in south Kashmir.
The security forces for the last few weeks have intensified operations. Every day, they eliminate militants mostly in south Kashmir. On Tuesday morning, two militants were killed.
On Sunday, six militants including three district commanders and an army soldier were killed during a gunfight in Shopian. The Shopian gunfight took place two days after three commanders of Lashkar-e-Toiba and HizbulMujahideen were among six militants killed in a gunfight with forces in Bijbehara area of Anantnag district on Friday.
However, the power woes is not only inconveniencing common people but also the security forces.
Take for instance two militant infested districts of south Kashmir, Pulwama and Shopian where the Power Development Department provides only 6-8 hour power supply in a day. The PDD said that supply hours will improve substantially after permanent restoration of 132 KV towers.
The average power curtailment in south Kashmir's two other districts-Kulgam, Anantnag-will be 6 hours in metered areas and 10 hour in non-metered areas.
"We need electricity during the evening and night hours to continue our operations. The militants many a times escape taking advantage of darkness," a police official said. The official said that government shall provide electricity to those areas where militants have a larger presence. "We many a times have to wait till morning," the official said.
As per the schedule, there will be six-hour power curtailment in metered areas of Srinagar and Budgam districts. The areas have been divided into three groups, A1, A2, and A3. These areas will face two hour power cuts in the morning between 6 am-12 pm, then two hours power curtailment between 12 pm to 6 pm, and two hours between 6 pm to 12 pm. However, the non-metered areas will face nine-hour power cuts, three hour each between 6-12, 12 to 6, and 6-12.
The metered areas of north Kashmir's Baramulla and Kupwara districts would face 9-hour power cuts and increase to 12 hours in non-metered areas.
Another district, Bandipora would face 10 hour power cuts in metered areas and 14-hour in non-metered areas.
The PDD has come under severe criticism for resorting to unscheduled power cuts, causing inconveniences to people in the Valley.
The PDD says that every year as winter approaches, the department faces the challenge of supplying increased load.
A PDD official while expressing helplessness said that peak restricted demand, which used to hover 1800 MWs in the month of November during previous years has abruptly increased to around 2200 MWs due to unrestricted use of heating gadget by the consumers. "To tackle the unprecedented increased load, the department has to enforce the curtailment schedule. We know security forces will be facing a lot of problems but we can't help them out unless takes some measures," he added.
On October 15, Chief Secretary BVR Subrahmanyam had directed the PDD to ensure that there is no power problem in Kashmir during the winters.
He had said there were clear instructions from the Governor that the consumers should not be put to any inconvenience because of unscheduled power cuts during the winters. |
