No end to power woes
The month of March has crossed its halfway mark and within a week’s time we are all set to enter the spring season. The season-when the entire Kashmir valley will be opening a new chapter of its existence by welcoming the New Year with hope and positivity in mind.
However, for the Power Development Department (PDD) to think of betterment and improvement of its services seems as if some miracle is to be performed which needs a herculean effort. The way the department is functioning it seems that it will take another thousand years for the PDD to emerge as a service provider that has public interest in mind.
The department time and again fails to come up to the expectations of the people and this year when the winter has been tough and gruesome, the department is yet to do away with its winter curtailment schedule.
The worst part is that the curtailments are getting even worse as no schedule is being maintained to provide electricity to the consumers on daily basis.
The Valley as we all know faces a peak deficit of 800 MWs of electricity during winter months. According to official data available the peak requirement jumps to 2100 MWs in the winter and only 1300 MWs of electricity is available for distribution with the PDD during winters.
Last year with the onset of winter, the PDD on November 20 last issued a power curtailment schedule ranging from six to 16 hours daily for different areas. In most parts of Kashmir, including Srinagar, people are complaining of irregular power cuts and accusing the PDD of not following their power curtailment schedule since then.
Though the PDD wasted no time in announcing that relief will be provided to the people as the much awaited Alasteng grid station would be commissioned by February 2019. However, the delay in the project has ruled out any possibility of reducing the electricity curtailment in the Valley.
The tall claims of Power Development Department (PDD) to commission Alasteng grid station on December 31 to overcome the power deficit in the Valley has fallen flat as the project missed its fourth deadline.
The Alasteng grid station, which has missed four deadlines in the past, was charged but the main 220 KV Zainakote-Alistang transmission line is still incomplete. The mere charging of the grid station will offer no larger benefit to the people as it cannot augument the power imports in any way.
Alasteng transmission line would generate additional 300 MWs of electricity to overcome the power deficit in the Valley. But the way planning to execute the grid was taken in hand it simply indicated disaster and official lethargy.
Apart from enhancing the imports the PDD has failed miserably to improve the local generation of power. This year we had abundant of rains and snowfall and with the advent of summer season all the major rivers and tributaries on which some minor power projects have been started, are filled to the brink.
The department could have enhanced power generation at the local level so that some relief could have been offered to the people.
KV Network
