Srinagar, June 11: The National Conference has condemned the Kashmir government for significant load shedding throughout the valley, claiming that the unprecedented situation has exceeded all prior records for power disruptions.
Zone Presidents Ali Muhammad Dar, Dr. Bashir Ahmed Veeri, and Javed Dar said in a joint statement, “The ruling dispensations both at the centre and the local administration in J&K are sleeping over the pressing need to find an early solution to the worst ever power crises in Kashmir.”
“Such a crisis has not occurred in the last three decades.” On the one hand, the government has arbitrarily and unilaterally raised electricity rates and extended previous agreements. Tariffs are also collected forcibly, regardless of customers’ financial circumstances, while power continues to play hide and seek with consumers,” they noted.
People are unable to deal with the situation after the huge power outages this summer, they claimed, adding that “in some areas, the power cut has been for more than 24 hours.” Despite grandiose assertions of progress in the power situation, little has changed on the ground. This summer, Kashmir valley electricity customers were hit with a double whammy: rate increases and weekly power outages ranging from 31 to 56 hours. When the public anticipated respite, the KPDCL resorted to restriction once again, this time with the arrival of June.” They have also pushed the administration to resolve the exceptional electricity crisis as soon as possible.
