Winter is the peak season when there is heavy load on electric power supply in the valley. The crisis is of such a magnitude that the distress power cuts have almost reached 100 hours per week at some places close to the city of Srinagar. Normal power cuts apart, the PDD authorities have confessed that distress power cuts have to be resorted to. The State produces only a fraction of the power needed and purchases power from neighbouring States. Power shortage has been a perennial problem with the State and despite tall claims made by authorities, season in and season out, there appears no improvement whatsoever. The situation in Jammu is not anything different. Apart from regular power cuts, there are large sale distress cuts also. The situation in rural areas of Jammu is worse.
PDD authorities say that there is large scale power theft and that is one of the reasons why people are faced with shortage. The PDD authorities once claimed that metered areas would be spared the power cut practice but according to reports coming in from different parts of the State even metered areas have power cuts and pilferage. Shortage of power is endemic and unfortunately authorities do not still understand the far-reaching impact of shortage of power in the State. The irony of our State is that despite having plenty of water resources, we have to buy power whereas we should have be exporting it and earning from it. The case is the reverse of it. How long can we endure it is a serious question.
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