The Hindu : Other States / Jammu & Kashmir News : Tempers rise as power cuts hit freezing Kashmir valley

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Nov 23, 2004

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Other States - Jammu & Kashmir

Tempers rise as power cuts hit freezing Kashmir valley

SRINAGAR, NOV. 22. The misery of the people in the Kashmir valley, reeling under the severe cold, has been compounded by the acute power crisis with the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) and the Opposition National Conference (NC) maintaining a stoic silence.

People are grappling with ten-hour power cuts daily and power breakdowns every 30 minutes to one hour. They are angered by the fact that the areas where senior Power Development Department (PDD) officials reside are not facing any such crisis and are getting

The angry populace say the scheduled power curtailment announced by the PDD has not been put into practice and officials of the PDD give flimsy excuses for the power cuts.

The cold weather has also resulted in rains at Zojila and Gumri since early this morning resulting in traffic being stopped on the 434-km-long Srinagar-Leh National Highway due to the slippery road at Zojila pass.

A traffic police spokesman said that the vehicle which left Srinagar for Leh and Kargil today was stopped at Sonamarg following the rains. "The road has become slippery due to the rains and we don't want to take any chances," he said adding that the vehicle will be allowed to proceed only after the weather improved.

The highway closes to traffic from November One every year. However, due to wet weather this year, traffic was allowed from Leh, Kargil and Srinagar on alternative days to avoid any tragedy.

Meanwhile, there have been reports of daily protests against the government in almost all parts of the Kashmir valley but people say the administration has turned a deaf ear to their pleas.

A retired PDD official Ghulam Rasool criticised the Power Department for its mismanagement and not a single official of the PDD was punished because of political links.

He also flayed the main opposition National Conference (NC) for maintainig a "criminal" silence over the issue. "They should play the role of a responsible Opposition party and take up this issue of public importance," he said.

Another person from Indira Nagar locality in the Cantonment area said it was surprising that posh Peerbagh locality, where senior officers of the PDD reside, received 24 hours power supply. Even when the Zainakote power grid was damaged during Ramzan power supply there was not affected, he said.

He said the Chief Engineer of the power department, who is a close relative of a ruling party leader, admitted during a television interview that Peerbagh had no power shortage as digital metres were installed there.

"Why this discrimination against us... we too have digital metres," he said.

People in other areas parts of the valley too have complained that the areas where senior officials of the PDD reside are being given regular power supply while nearby areas are being neglected.

The power crisis has also affected tourist inflow with several visitors cutting short their visit to the valley.

The crisis has also affected the newspaper and news agency offices besides small and medical scale industries operating in the Kashmir valley.

Meanwhile, the upper reaches of the Kashmir valley received fresh snowfall since last evening resulting in further cold weather.

The holy Amarnath cave, Sheshnag, Mahaguns and Pissu Top in south Kashmir and upper reaches in the north Kashmir, including some border areas also experienced snowfall since early this morning.

UNI

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Tempers rise as power cuts hit freezing Kashmir valley