Baramulla, Dec. 1: A severe electrical crisis has struck the Uri area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, pushing the area into sudden darkness.
As there is no break in the protracted outage of the energy supply, the lack of electrical facilities has left the people of the villages in Uri unhappy and despondent.
We haven’t had power for the last four days. We have been disappointed with the government,” Uri resident Muhammad Rafiq remarked.
Filled with rage over the lack of power, the locals rejected the promises of continuous power to regions that were metered and appropriate reductions in places that were not.
“Real-world conditions differ greatly from what the government says. Rafiq said, “We are not happy.
Not having enough energy seems to be a problem for Uri, which is well-known for having three power projects—Uri I, Uri II, and the LGHP power project—that together generate 760 MW of power.
The inhabitants of Uri describe the disorganized electrical grid and lament continuous power outages in spite of their efforts.
Because power was not delivered to Uri on time, Muhammad Rafiq described the city’s electrical system as chaotic.
The irony is that, although they pay a high price, power is only available to them for one or two hours each day. Customers in the area voiced dissatisfaction about a significant rise in their energy rates.
The fact that Uri still has power outages “is disheartening,” he remarked, despite the city possessing three power projects.
According to locals, the Power Development Department (PDD) invoices businesses and residential homes between Rs. 900 and Rs. 1400, but seldom does it deliver on its promise of energy delivery.
We are discouraged because power is scarce in Uri, a place that is meant to be a center for energy production. They are not adhering to the curtailment timetable, the residents said.
Concerned about the chronic power outages, Sandeep Kumar of the Lagama region of Uri drew attention to the NHPC’s purported refusal to make up for the land that was stolen from them.
As per the curtailment plan, we never get energy, which is an undesirable aspect, added Kumar.
An additional customer showed his power account and said that, even though he paid Rs 3,000 for three months, he only got electricity for one or two hours every day throughout that time.
Another inhabitant, Nazir Ahmad, expressed his dissatisfaction, saying, “The government is not paying attention to our problem, and there is no adherence to any schedule.”
Fuming at the government’s apathetic response, the residents demanded that if the government was unable to provide energy on time, the PDD should return their power poles and cables and stop submitting invoices.
There are still blackouts even after we have power for an hour. Not even after the sun sets and the morning prayers are said do we have power. No one comes here to visit. One Uri resident, from the Kandi neighborhood, pleaded with the authorities to demolish the infrastructure and stop billing them.
People who live in Uri say that the area’s electricity problems have become worse and that they are anxiously awaiting an end to their situation.
They expressed their wish that a government official would come by and see the true circumstances as they exist.
A problem with the electrical infrastructure in the Lagama area has been fixed, according to Bashir Ahmad Shah, Executive Engineer, PDD Baramulla, who spoke to Greater Kashmir.
“It was fixed, but there was an earlier issue that caused disruptions in the power supply,” he stated.
He said that the department supplies energy in accordance with the timetable in response to public concerns over the lack of electricity in the Uri region.
While complaints and claims may be made about anything, our officers provide us with regular updates about the supplies provided to each area. He said, “But I’ll still have it looked at to see if the Uri area is adhering to the schedule correctly.”
