GANDERBAL — Many villages in this central Kashmir district have been reeling under darkness for the past few weeks as transformers in their areas have developed some technical snags.
Residents of Kangan area said a transformer in their area has developed a technical snag, and their area has been reeling under darkness for the past many days.
Meanwhile, locals said that those who have electricity are facing tremendous problems due to low voltage.
A local youth of Tawheed Pora Kangan said, “We are facing immense hardships in the presence of this low electricity voltage. Assurances of Power Development Department (PDD) to get a new transformer at the earliest proved to be a hoax, as nothing has been done to date. Youth face a lot of problems when we reach our tuition points in Srinagar, as we can’t complete our homework due to the very low voltage of electricity in the area.”
“I am visiting my cousin’s house to get my laptop charged as they have a transformer there and we pay the electricity bill in equal amounts,” said an IT student. He alleged that only 100 volts of electricity are available and they are using candles at dinner time.
A senior citizen of Kangan said, “Population is increasing day by day and needs also, but the transformers are neither increased nor upgraded. These were installed years back in the area and are still there without any upgrade.”
“There is a need for a few more transformers, especially in winter, as here in Kashmir, electricity crises arise mostly in winter,” he added.
“Kangan was a Tehsil headquarters, and now it is a sub-district which is within the premises of three mega powerhouses, within 20 km, and one of them is in the main town Kangan (Jee Sahib Power House), but all for the others. Those who provide their land and manpower are without electricity,” a local farmer, Ghulam Hassan, told The Kashmir Pulse.
Hussain, a local resident, alleged that his 1-acre land was used for the power house in the early 90’s when it was constructed, and a promise to his father was made that one of their family members would be provided a job in the department and they would get free electricity, but neither he nor his family got a job nor the electricity.
Residents of Parray Mohalla, Wayil area, blocked the Srinagar-Leh National Highway for hours. They alleged that the PDD department is forcing them to come on the roads as they have been without electricity for days.
The inhabitants of Kangan said that their transformer often develops a technical snag, and every time, PDD officials take money from them to get the transformer repaired. They alleged that PDD employees are responsible for these snags, as they don’t know how to maintain the usage of transformers.
People of Kangan and its adjoining areas like Wayil, Surfraw etc are without electricity for the past few days.
