* JPDCL to purchase 200 MWs of more electricity: CE
Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, May 24: With Jammu Power Development Corporation Ltd (JPDCL) purchasing 200 MWs of electricity more to meet its domestic requirements, the people in the region are likely to get a respite from increasing power curtailments faced by them during last over fortnight after the temperature soared high.
Follow the Daily Excelsior channel on WhatsApp
As per official sources, the Managing Director Jammu Power Development Corporation Ltd (JPDCL) convened a meeting of officers yesterday to discuss the situation arising out of increasing domestic requirement of power due to sudden hike in temperature and in the meeting the Chief Engineer, JPDCL has given a requirement for purchase of extra 200 MWs of power for the Jammu region. This demand has been conceded in the meeting and from tomorrow the Jammu region will get 200 MWs of extra power to overcome the increasing domestic need, sources added.
When contacted, Chief Engineer JPDCL, Manhar Gupta told Excelsior that with the purchase of 200 MWs of extra power “we hopefully will overcome the crisis created due to increasing heat wave and distress power curtailments”.
He admitted that the Corporation to maintain the gap between demand and supply of power has enforced four hours curtailment in Urban areas and eight hour cuts in rural areas. However, no curtailment has been enforced in the areas where smart meters have been installed. “But due to sudden increase in temperature the distress curtailments have been enforced in some areas where smart meters have also been installed . Now with the purchase of extra 200 mws from tomorrow this curtailment will be over besides, the supply will considerably be made better in rural as well as urban areas also having no smart meters”.
It may be recalled that the increasing heat wave coupled with unscheduled daily power cuts of long duration have made the life of people miserable in Jammu region for last over a fortnight.
The situation is even worst in some areas where smart meters have also been installed by the Corporation when it had claimed that there will be no power cuts in these areas. But the consumers alleged that even after the installation of smart meters there has been no respite from power curtailments and authorities of JPDCL have forced the people to pay through the nose.
This has generated a lot of public resentment and people at various places have resorted to protests and road blockade against the unscheduled long duration power curtailment in this hot weather. The situation is worst in rural and semi urban areas of the region where the people are experiencing eight hour or more power cuts daily with the Power Development Corporation taking no steps to improve the power supply and alleviate the sufferings of the people despite the fact that the day temperature has increased to 40 degrees and as per the forecasts of weatherman it will further increase to 46 degrees or so in near future.
To protest against the power curtailments, the people in Ghagwal area of Samba district today blocked the road for many hours as the protestors alleged that electricity is making hide and seek and there is no body in the administration to bother and solve the pressing issue in this hot Summer. Rishpal Verma former Chairman OBC Development Board who also participated in the protest at Ghagwal said when the authorities are not ready to listen to the problem and settle them the people are left with no option but to come to streets and protest. He said the Ghagwal area, Hiranagar belt as well as Samba district are facing acute power crisis.
The power crisis have even added to miseries of farmers who are going to sow the seeds of paddy crop as the water pumps for irrigation are idle due to lack of power supply. The farmers are worried as they are unable to sow the seeds, he added.
Echoing his views, Omi Khajuria BJP district president Jammu rural said on the one hand Metrology Department is warning about rise in temperature to over 44 degrees in coming days and on the other hand the JKPDCL is not taking steps to improve the power supply in the region.
The people in entire Jammu including urban and rural areas are facing acute power cuts. Rishpal Chowdhary, a social activist from Bohri said that entire area of Bohri, Hazuri Bagh and surrounding colonies faced total blackout during the day today. He said the power crisis have added to the woes of people especially the old and infirm. On the one hand the consumers are forced to pay inflated bills and on the other hand the authorities fail to supply round the clock power.
VHP leader Shakti Dutt Sharma said that Government’s claims of providing round the clock power supply in areas having smart meters have proved totally hollow as situation has not bettered in the areas where smart meters have been installed.
People in Kathua, Bani, Billawar and Basohli alleged that they are facing eight to 12 hour curtailments daily which has created impediments in drinking water supply as well as irrigation water supply. Jagmohan and Balbir Singh, two farmers from Kathua said that on the one hand the water level in canals has decreased and on the other hand due to lack of power supply the irrigation pumps have turned defunct adding to woes of farming community.
Sharda Devi, a resident of Ramgarh border belt said that the situation is worst in border areas as electricity plays hide and seek after every five minutes in their area. Kirpal Singh, a political leader from Mansar said that earlier Government had agreed to supply round the clock power to Mansar being a pilgrimage tourist centre but for last six months the area faces acute power crisis.
Qamardin of Ramsu said the situation is worst in his area including rural belts of Gool, Ramban town, Ramsoo and Battery Chashma area. “We are facing acute power curtailments for last 15 days”, he added.
Same is position in Udhampur town and its urban areas, said Ajay Kumar, a local shopkeeper and Ajay Gupta a social activist. There are no scheduled cuts but the power remains off for hours together during day as well as night hours in this hot and humid temperature.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
