Irfan Tramboo
Srinagar, Dec 21: With record-breaking cold across Kashmir this year leading to increased electricity demand, the Government today announced efforts to augment the power supply to address unscheduled power cuts.
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Principal Secretary of the Power Development Department, Rajesh Prasad, told Excelsior that measures are underway to enhance the supply, considering the heightened demand in the Valley.
“We are actively working to resolve the issue of unscheduled power cuts by procuring additional supply from the power exchange,” he said.
While refraining from providing further details on the procurement process, he acknowledged the rise in demand with the onset of winter and measures being taken.
“By today, we expect to have the necessary arrangements-in the form of additional supply-in place to address the issue of unscheduled cuts. The cold has intensified, and so has the demand, we are fully aware of the situation,” he said.
As winter begins in Kashmir, residents have been voicing concerns over unscheduled power outages, despite Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s directive to adhere to the curtailment schedule.
A week ago, it was reported that nearly 100 megawatts of power had been added to the supply and were expected to improve the situation. However, this too failed to ensure a seamless supply.
Officials stated that although a curtailment schedule was issued at the start of winter, the demand has exceeded supply.
“The demand was observed to be higher than what was available, leaving us no option but to resort to load shedding, which has led to unscheduled power cuts,” officials said.
They added that nearly 1,600 megawatts of electricity is currently being supplied across Kashmir.
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