Srinagar, Nov 25: The Power Development Department (PDD) is mulling to issue a fresh curtailment scheduled within a few days with officials concerned stating that the fresh schedule will ensure less curtailments in both metered as well as the non-metered areas across the Valley.
Reliable sources informed the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that the PDD will come up with a fresh curtailment schedule in the coming days for which the work has already been started.
They said that the decision to issue a fresh schedule has been taken after the excessive misuse of electricity by the consumers across the Valley.
Sources further informed that the work on preparing the fresh curtailment schedule has already been started and will be issued within next few days.
Pertinently, as per the schedule issued earlier this month, the department had stated that there will be only two to three-hour daily curtailment in metered areas and three to four-hour curtailment in non-metered areas.
However, talking to KNO, Chief Engineer, Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation (KPDC), Aijaz Ahmed Dar said that the fresh curtailment schedule is being prepared for the Valley.
He added that the daily curtailment schedule in non-metered areas will be increased to 7.5 hours, adding that in the metered areas, it will be increased to 4.5 hours.
Dar further stated that the fresh curtailment schedule will be issued within two days, adding that fresh schedule will be with lesser curtailments than previous year.
Notably, the fresh schedule will be issued almost 20 days after the department issued curtailment schedule for winters, terming it as “the lowest curtailment schedule in a decade”.
Earlier, Dar had told KNO that the excessive misuse of electricity was compelling the department to go ahead with the additional power cuts. “In case the electricity will be used judiciously, the department will be able to provide electricity as per the schedule,” Dar had said.
Chief Engineer had said that the department has conducted at least 15000 inspections across the Valley and nearly 7000 heaters have been destroyed so far. “We are trying to provide more electricity, but the people don’t cooperate in this regard,” he had said, adding that the people would get adequate electricity in case they use it judiciously—(KNO)