No unscheduled power cuts in Kashmir last winter: Government
KINS Correspondent
Srinagar, Oct 28 (KINS): The government on Tuesday informed the Legislative Assembly that no unscheduled power cuts were imposed in the Kashmir valley during the last winter, despite a substantial rise in demand due to heating load.
Responding to a question by NC MLA Abdul Majeed Larmi, the Power Minister said that even though the valley usually faces power shortages and unscheduled cuts during winters, the government successfully ensured uninterrupted power supply last season.
According to the minister’s written reply, as reported by the news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS), the linkage of curtailment to seasons — which earlier justified excessive curtailment in Jammu during summers and in Kashmir during winters — has been abolished.
“Scheduled curtailment is now limited to zero, two, and four hours for essential/below 15% loss feeders, 15–40% loss feeders, and 40% plus loss feeders respectively, throughout the year for both Kashmir and Jammu divisions,” the minister said.
He added that no additional or distress cuts are permitted in Kashmir during winters or in Jammu during summers. “Any additional distress cuts necessitated by power availability limitations are to be imposed only in Jammu from October to March, and in Kashmir from April to September,” the reply stated.
The Power Minister further noted that the department has also ended the practice of increasing curtailment hours based on loss levels. Instead, disciplinary action is now taken against officers who fail to bill or recover energy charges, which has encouraged better efficiency in billing and collections.
“This policy shift has led to significant improvement in the recovery of power dues,” the minister added. (KINS)
