Early Times Report
Srinagar, Apr 25: Protests erupted in many parts of Kashmir on Monday as the power crisis continued to deteriorate during Ramzan.
In Srinagar, women took to streets in Maisuma, GawKadal and Habba Kadal areas. The traders in Baramulla and neighbouring Sopore towns in north Kashmir also staged a protest against the UT government for failing to make electricity available during the holy month. These protests have been taking place in various parts of the Valley over the past one week as majority of areas in Srinagar, towns and villages are facing more than 15 hours of the power outage.
“We have never seen such a power crisis in Kashmir,” said Tariq Mugloo, a trade union leader during a protest in Baramulla. “ Even in the crucial hours of sehri (pre-dawn breakfast), there is no electricity.”
The traders said that they would not deposit the electricity fee for the month of April.
The women protesters in Srinagar sought immediate intervention of the government.
We were unable to understand why despite numerous power projects in the Kashmir Valley, we are still without power, they said.
Several residents have been taking to social media to express their anger and disappointment.
Officials in Kashmir Power Development Corporation Limited (KPDCL) said the power crisis was mainly due to coal shortage across the country and the situation is likely to remain the same.
A senior official of KPDCL said the present crisis was not limited to Kashmir, but to other parts of the country as well as there was coal shortage due to the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
“The power demand in Kashmir is 1,500 MW while we got the supply of only 900 MW this time,” he said.
The political parties have hit out at the UT government for failing to provide electricity during Ramzan. |
