J&K: Power crisis has people, govt at loggerheads

Srinagar: With more than three power cuts a day, people in Srinagar are finding it difficult to beat the heat during peak summers. The government, however, is in no mood to relax the power curtailment schedule, and insists that the crisis will only end when the people start paying the market price for electricity.

Meanwhile, for students like Samir, preparations for their Class 10 examinations have turned more difficult. They are sweating it out because of at least six power cuts per day.

He says, "I have taken mid-term exams. I have to do with this candle light. It gets difficult to read... There is no power..."

The scheduled and unscheduled power cuts come as a big surprise to the people because the demand for power is much less in summer than in winter.

After the winters, people had thought the power situation would improve with increasing water level in the rivers but contrary to the expectations not much has changed on the ground. Instead, the government has adopted a tough stand and asked people to pay up or face power cuts.

Muzaffar Ahmad, Chief Engineer at the power department says, "Yes, it is a fact that we have not changed the power curtailment schedule as yet. It is continuing to be as it was in the winters."

A recent tweet by Chief minister Omar Abdullah showed how desperate the situation is. Omar asked his ccritics to stop complaining and start paying the market price for power. Here's why: In Jammu and Kashmir, the cost of generating and distributing power per year is Rs 3,500 crore. While the revenue collected is a mere Rs 1200 crore, the state's total power debt now stands at a whopping Rs 3000 crore. The Omar government has now decided to not take any more losses.

Manzoor Salroo, Development Commissioner, at the power department says, "The moment people start cooperating with us, power cuts will disappear for certain. If the temperature moderates down, there will also be lower cuts."

It is not that simple, however. With no let up in the summer heat, the Omar government is now bracing for a surge of public anger, especially in the Jammu region.