Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 23: Major parts of Jammu city are without electricity since yesterday afternoon as the Power Development Department has failed to replace the power transformers, which got damaged during the heavy rainfall. The prevailing situation has exposed the tall claims being made by the Government about attending grievances of the people on priority basis.
Reports said that during heavy rainfall yesterday power transformers of numerous areas of Jammu got damaged because of varied reasons thereby depriving vast population of electricity. Though weather improved this morning yet the Power Development Department particularly the Maintenance and RE Wing didn’t woke up from the deep slumber to replace the damaged transformers.
Angered over inordinate delay in replacement of transformers, people staged protest demonstration in several areas accusing top officers of the Power Development Department of adopting casual approach towards the grievances of the common masses.
While the Executive Engineers, Assistant Executive Engineers and Junior Engineers expressed inability to replace the damaged transformers in the absence of any replacement from the stores, the top officers continued to delay the issuance of transformers till late tonight because of unknown reasons.
“The non-cooperation of the top officers was notwithstanding the fact that adequate number of transformers were available in the Central Store of the Power Development Department and they had all the powers to pass orders for replacement of damaged transformers”, sources said.
“We made a number of calls to the offices of top officers but there was no satisfactory reply and every time we were conveyed that something would be done to meet the situation”, a number of people told EXCELSIOR on telephone.
Though transformers were issued for some areas, majority of the areas, which plunged into darkness yesterday evening, remained without electricity till late tonight thereby exposing that redressing grievances of the people is no priority for the Power Development Department officers.
“If this is the situation in the areas, which are few kilometers away from the Civil Secretariat, the seat of the power, what could be the situation in remote areas can be easily gauged”, people said, adding “instead of making lofty slogans about good governance, the Government should make officers accountable for timely redressal of the grievances”.
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