*Pesky power cuts irk consumers, Omar says 90% power supply restored
Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Dec 28: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today reviewed snow clearance operations and restoration of essential services in Kashmir following snowfall in the region and said that 90 percent of the power supply has been restored.
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During the meeting, the Deputy Commissioners presented updates on snow clearance, restoration of power and water supply and emergency response to deal with inclement weather.
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The Chief Minister directed Deputy Commissioners to personally supervise snow clearance operations, emphasizing the need to obtain photographic evidence of cleared areas to ensure thorough removal and prevent freezing road conditions as temperatures drop.
He called for a proactive approach, urging officials to deploy adequate manpower and machinery on the ground.
District administrations were instructed to provide two-hourly updates to the CM’s office and the Chief Secretary’s office to keep the Government apprised of the situation.
The Chief Engineer of Public Health Engineering (PHE) informed the CM that 90% of the water supply across the Valley has been restored, with efforts underway to address the remaining 10%.
The Divisional Commissioner of Jammu reported that power and water supply in Jammu division districts remain unaffected, while the Chief Secretary confirmed steady progress in restoring electricity feeders and assured that district hospitals are functioning smoothly.
The Chief Minister stressed the importance of ensuring 100% attendance of doctors and paramedical staff at all district and sub-district hospitals to effectively manage emergencies.
Special instructions were issued to the Deputy Commissioner Budgam to coordinate with airport authorities to assist stranded tourists and to provide transportation, if required.
The Divisional Commissioner Kashmir assured that sufficient stocks of essential commodities, including food and other civil supplies, are available in all districts.
Commending officials for their efforts, the Chief Minister urged them to remain vigilant, proactive and responsive to the needs of the people during this challenging period.
He emphasized the importance of seamless coordination and uninterrupted services to mitigate the impact of the snowfall on the public.
The meeting held at the video conference hall in Ganderbal, was attended in person by Advisor to the CM Nasir Aslam Wani, Deputy Commissioner Ganderbal Shyambir, ADC Ganderbal, and other senior district officials. Chief Secretary, Divisional Commissioners of Kashmir and Jammu and Deputy Commissioners from all districts participated via video conferencing.
Following the major power outage in many parts of Valley in view of heavy snowfall, authorities said that it has restored more than 85 percent of supply.
“Out of forty-one 33KV feeders dysfunctional in Kashmir due to heavy snowfall, 37have been restored and charged. Similarly, out of 739 dysfunctional 11KV feeders, 639 have been restored and recharged, bringing a major relief to the Valley. The majority of the rest are expected to be restored by the evening. Kudos to the PDD team for their relentless efforts in this snow fall in such a short time,” he wrote on X.
The authorities further said that the Kashmir Power Development Corporation Limited (KPDCL) was working tirelessly to restore the remaining faulty power supply at earliest.
In the meantime, KPDCL Chief Engineer (Distribution) Aaquib Sultana Waheed Deva said: “We have almost restored 85 to 90 percent of power supply across the Kashmir valley.”
“However, there is a small dependency in Kulgam and Anantnag districts. Most likely, we will restore the power supply completely by late this evening. We are continuously working on it,” Deva said.
On asking about the damage due to snowfall, Deva said, “As such there is no major damage witnessed so far but there has been a minor damage to Distribution Transformers (DTs). We are ascertaining the damage to DTs.”
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