Unscheduled power cuts continue to trouble Tral residents, allege locals
Pulwama: Residents of Tral town and its adjoining areas in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district are facing immense hardship as unscheduled power cuts have continued unabated for the past two weeks, coinciding with an intense heatwave that has gripped the Valley.
The erratic electricity supply has disrupted daily life, with people alleging that outages occur several times during the day and night without any prior notice. The prolonged interruptions come at a time when electricity has become essential for cooling, drinking water supply, healthcare, education, and businesses.
Locals said the situation has become unbearable as soaring temperatures have made it difficult for children, elderly people, and patients to cope without fans and other electrical appliances. They added that repeated outages have also affected water pumps, leaving many households struggling with drinking water shortages.
“We have been facing unscheduled power cuts for nearly two weeks. Electricity goes off several times a day without any warning. During this scorching heat, it has become impossible to stay indoors, especially for elderly people and children,” said a resident of Tral town.
Another local expressed frustration over the lack of communication from the authorities. “If there is maintenance work, at least people should be informed in advance. But these outages are completely unexpected, making it difficult to plan even basic household activities,” he said.
Students preparing for examinations said the erratic power supply has severely affected their studies.
“We are unable to study properly during the evenings and nights. Frequent power failures interrupt our preparation, and many students who rely on computers or internet connectivity are suffering,” said a student from Tral.
Shopkeepers and small business owners also reported losses due to the prolonged outages who questioned that what is fun of being metered area.
“Our businesses depend on electricity. Frequent power cuts are affecting computer services, mobile charging, photocopy work and other commercial activities. We are suffering financially,” said a local trader.
Residents further said that despite the installation of smart meters and regular payment of electricity bills, they have not witnessed any improvement in the quality of power supply. Many questioned why consumers continue to face prolonged outages despite fulfilling their obligations.
The residents have appealed to the authorities, particularly the power distribution department, to restore a stable electricity supply, strengthen the local infrastructure, and issue advance public notices whenever maintenance or scheduled shutdowns are planned.
