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| Acute power crisis in Jammu, PDD misleads young CM | | 'Night curtailment routine' | |  Syed Junaid Hashmi
Jammu, July 23: Jammu is reeling under acute power crisis with people across the city spending nights out in the open.
Unscheduled power curtailment especially during the night hours has made life miserable for commoners. PDD, which is acting on the aid and advice of officers in the Civil Secretariat, has made it a routine to affect curtailment during the night hours. Such is the callousness and chaos at the level of Power Ministry which is headed by Chief Minister that onus is more on documentary evidence and less on ground situation.
If official press notes and Twitter comments of Omar Abdullah are any indication, his knowledge about power crisis in Jammu is not only limited but extremely poor. Official dukedom has led him astray. The fact remains that grueling hot and humid weather coupled with more than 14 hours of unscheduled power curtailment has forced many in Jammu to shift to cooler destinations till the weather improves.
Besides, Omar has also not been told that a sizeable population of Muslims who live in Jammu and are observing Ramadan find it difficult to relax during the night hours. After fasting throughout the day in the hot and humid climate, they have to remain awake during the night hours since the PDD enforces curtailment immediately after the Taraweeh prayers. Curtailment begins at 11 PM and goes up to 1 am in the night or remains effective throughout the night Jammuites have no hope from the Power Development Department (PDD) which is often seen hiding behind the excuse of curtailment of power supply from the Northern grid. Despite Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's assertion during Sunday's District Development Board (DDB) meeting that power supply to Jammu has been increased, scenario on ground remains grim and pathetic. The increasing power cuts and frequent interruptions has led to increasing public outcry with people resorting to demonstrations, road blocks and protests in different parts of the city and its outskirts today.
It has become a matter of routine that you hear power remaining cut off for hours together in old city and other areas forcing people to come to streets and protest against the Government. The areas worst hit include Shaheedi Chowk, Purani Mandi, Ambphalla, entire Old City, Chowk Chabutra, Afghana Mohallah, Moti Bazar, Talab Tillo, Bohri, Sunjawan, Bhathindi, Sidhra, Bagh-e-Bahu, Gujjar Nagar, Talab Khatikan, Chowadi, Sainik Colony, Channi Himmat, Trikuta Nagar and Narwal.
People in these areas allege that they have been constantly facing the problem since May this year after the Secretariat moved to Summer Capital and the assurances of Chief Minister last time that power supply will be improved has not been fulfilled. Miseries of the people have increased due to dry spell of Monsoon. People have to rely on rain gods for the same as there are no chances of heavy rainfall according to the authorities in Meteorological Department.
PDD officials are skillfully exploiting the situation to their best owing to Chief Minister's immature approach towards power crisis. They neither attend Phone calls nor have been able to publish curtailment schedule in the newspapers. Meanwhile, commercial establishments and shops have already observed Bandh twice in protest against the power crisis that is affecting their businesses.
Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industries (JCCI) has sought uninterrupted power supply to business establishments in the Jammu city. Owner of a leading business establishment in Jammu said that people of Jammu started crying on the issue because of repeated power cuts, breakdowns and interruptions, both scheduled and unscheduled, resulting into losses of industrial production, commercial sector, discomforts in domestic sector and to thousands of pilgrims visiting both Mata Vaishno Devi and Shri Amarnath Ji.
He said that authorities have not fulfilled their assurances and power supply is worsening with every passing day, he said. Commissioner/Secretary Power, Sudhanshu Panday despite repeated attempts could not be contacted. |
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