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| Jammu goes 'powerless', PDD's internal feud adds to miseries | | 'Snake bite cases going up' | | Syed Junaid Hashmi
EARLY TIMES REPORT
Jammu, June 25: Despite purchasing power worth Rs. 2400 crore, Power development department (PDD) Jammu has been unable to meet daily requirement and is resorting to unscheduled power cuts ranging from 3 to 5 hours even in metered areas.
Canal road, Christian Colony, New Plot, Janipur, Sarwal, Rajpura, Gorakh Nagar, Purkhoo, Bakshi Nagar, Indira Nagar, Bag-e-Bahu, Sunjawan, Bhathindi, Channi Himmat, Digiana, Channi Rama, certain pockets in old Jammu city alongwith some other areas are the worst hit. Despite 70 to 90 percent (as per PDD records) metering, unscheduled power cuts coupled with fluctuating power supply has made life difficult for the people living in these areas.
Power curtailment in the middle of night pushes people out of their houses and in most of the cases; commoners are forced to lay beds out in the open. Cases of Snake bite have begun adding up with Government Medical College (GMC) getting 3 to 4 cases from Rajpura, Gorkha Nagar, Purkhoo, Bag-e-Bahu, Sunjawan, Bhathindi, Channi Rama and other rural belts of Jammu. Not only this, in certain areas, sources affirmed that linemen are enforcing shutdown without any direction from the higher-ups.
They added that these illegal cuts are resorted to extract money from the commoners in the rural belts of Jammu city. Besides, it may sound unbelievable but the fact remains that in the B-class city of the country, people have begun to prefer candle light over electricity. Unscheduled curtailment begins at round 12 in the noon and continues upto 12 in the night.
Hapless PDD which cries of power shortage off and on fails to explain how it ensures 24 hour power supply when any of the VVIPs whose residential houses are in the above mentioned localities return. What makes matters worse is patronization of the fourth rung corrupt officers by the seniors in PDD.
It may sound unbelievable but linemen rule the roost in the PDD. Locals assert that if a complaint is lodged against the lineman with superiors, they either do not take action or advice the lineman to meet the complainant personally. They assert that things are allowed to drift and power allowed to be consumed illegally. Sources admitted that despite best possible efforts of Chief Engineer Shehnaz Goni, lower rung officers are doing things according to their own whims and fancies.
They said that all this is being done with the sole motive of creating a crisis situation and forcing the people to come on roads against the PDD. Sources within PDD said that certain officers with ill-motives are hell-bent on getting present Chief Engineer changed since she has stopped illegal and under-hand activities of lower rung officers.
They added that there is no power shortage but like the infamous artificial timber scarcity scam of 2008, certain officers in PDD are trying to create 'artificial power scarcity'. These officers while praising Chief Engineer Shehnaz Goni said "She has been working day and night but there is a particular lobby of officers who want her to be replaced. They enjoy political patronage and have been advised by their political masters to somehow create public uproar over power crisis."
These officers further said that Chief Engineer should start spade work at the earliest. "Corrupt and rotten elements within department should be shown the door. Effective penalization would help in streamlining the system and brining it back to the rails," commented an officer. It needs to be mentioned here that situation is worsening in Jammu region despite vehement claims of power development department. |
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