Page 42 - 29NOV2019E-4

J&K illuminates country while its

own citizens live without power

J&K has a hydroelectricity potential of 20,000 MWs of which around 3,000 MWs have
been identified. The successive governments in J&K have been seeking return of at least two
power projects from the NHPC, reports mudassir kuloo

n night of November 7 when rupted and people are left with no choice We have to be dependent upon candle
Kashmir received season’s to live in darkness for days. light to take dinner and study,” Sumeera
first snowfall, little did peo- Well, if you think the problem of complains.
ple know that most areas of errant power supply is only common Like Sumeera, there are hundreds of
O the valley will be without during the snowfall or harsh winter then students preparing for various examina-
electricity for over a week. Entire Kash- one should visit Kashmir in other sea- tions these days in Kashmir but remain
mir came under the reel of darkness sons as well. affected as they are unable to study due
for days. Even electricity in most parts Sumeera Jan (18) is appearing for class to total power blackout.
of summer capital Srinagar was only 12th examinations in Kashmir. As she Afreen Bano, a class 6th student
restored after three days. Around 4,000- hails from Srinagar’s old city, Sumeera and resident of Harwan area, outskirt
5,000 electricity poles were damaged has no other alternative than to prepare of Srinagar, said once there is sun set
due to snowfall. for the examination in the dim light of her entire neighbourhood plunges into
It was already six-days since snowfall the candles due to erratic power supply. darkness.
hit Kashmir and Bashir Bhat and his fam- Every year, people of old city are assured “Our area is a metered one. We are
ily living without electricity. “We were of improved power supply but the situa- bound to get 24x7 electricity but we get
suffering terribly in absence of electric- tion has worsened instead. only 8-hour power supply during the
ity,” says Bashir, 55, hailing from south “My younger brother and I are not day. The icy-cold water makes it difficult
Kashmir’s Pulwama district. able to study properly under candle light. for us to wash our hands and face since
“This showed the government’s We don’t know when the electricity will the geysers in our home are not working
apathy in dealing with the situation. go off. Nobody is bothered for difficulties due to absence of electricity,” she says.
Authorities are staying in Jammu but we are facing because of abrupt power The abrupt power cuts are making life
here in Kashmir, we are left at the mercy cuts,” she says, whose father is a street miserable in Kashmir. Thousands of peo-
of God,” he claims. vendor. ple in rurals of Kashmir still use tradi-
Whenever Kashmir receives snowfall “We can’t afford to purchase an in- tional methods to light their homes and
even by few inches, the first casualty is verter for lighting up all rooms of our firewood for cooking meals.
always the electricity where lives get dis- house because of financial constraints. Asif Ahmad, a resident of KP Road,

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