Amid harsh winter people grapple in darkness and patients on concentrators suffer as PDD ‘enforced unscheduled power cut’
Power supply resorted in almost all areas by 10:30 pm : PDD
Reyaz Rashid
Baramulla: While government claims that there has been’ significant improvement’ in the power supply and restoration of transmission breakdowns, however, major parts of Baramulla district witnessed nine hour long power outage leaving the areas darkness and people including patients on concentrators were the worst suffers.
Locals from Baramulla, Uri, Sopore, Sangrama, Narvaw, Kandi Barmaulla and adjoining areas alleged that without any prior notice, Power Development Department took a 9 hour long shutdown that too during this harsh winter as they need some shifting of 132KV Transmission line at Delina Grid station.
“Amid this shivering cold we are punished by PDD for not providing adequate power supply. We produce power, power houses and grid stations are constructed on our land but we are powerless. Department use frequent cuts despite the heavy cut schedules already issued,’ said Ghulam Rasoool Bhat, a resident of Barmaulla.
While department termed the spontaneous nine-hour long shutdown as technical sang, people demand inquiry into the is ‘poor planning of incompetent officials’
Asif Azeez, a netizen writes on face book, “Technical snag ? Such a huge outage couldn’t be justified just by saying TECHNICAL SNAG. This is not SNAG, this is poor planning of incompetent officials. Must b enquired by administration, strict action against erring officers shall be taken. Hundreds of patients on Oxygen support at their homes are gasping for a single breath as their oxygen concentrators are defunct since morning due to this outage. This is simply a disaster from KPDCL.”
An official of PDD department said that 132KV Transmission line of Delina Grid was on shutdown, due to shifting of Lower Jhelum Hydel Project bay and power supply to Baramulla and some parts of Kupwara was affected since 3pm.
“One of our workers got injured during the repair and restoration work which delayed the restoration. He has been admitted to the hospital. Power will be restored at 10 pm mostly probably,” he added.
Hospital sources said that an employee of Power Development Department (PDD) was admitted to hospital after he suffered multiple fractures in arm while working on shifting Lower Jhelum Hydel Project bay 132 KV Transmission Line at Delina Grid station due to which the restoration work was affected for some time. “ Condition of the admitted injured employee is stated,’ a health official said.
Later,power supply in Baramulla was restored around 10:30 pm in Barmaulla much to the delight of the consumers.