Power crisis hits Rajouri, Poonch
Shariq Majeed
Tribune News Service

Rajouri, July 5
The Power Development Department (PDD) has supplied electricity for just three hours in the past two days to the twin districts of Rajouri and Poonch making the people suffer in the sultry humid conditions. The residents have alleged that the department has supplied their quota of power to Jammu.

The PDD had shut the power supply to Jammu, Rajouri and Poonch areas following damage to two transformers at Gladni Grid Station on July 2. Many areas of Jammu and entire Rajouri and Poonch get power supply from Gladni Grid Station and due to the damage about 50 per cent of the power supply to the region has been affected. To cope up with the situation, the department had contemplated enforcing power curtailments ranging between 10 to 15 hours a day on rotational basis.

The residents of Rajouri and Poonch districts have alleged that since the power was partially restored, the department's "priority" has been to supply power to Jammu than to Rajouri and Poonch districts. They further alleged that even as the department restored the power supply to Jammu the next day and was continuing to do so as per the plan, it had failed to supply the promised quota of power to Rajouri and Poonch districts.

"Though the department had promised to supply power on rotational basis between Jammu, Rajouri and Poonch, it is supplying the share of Rajouri and Poonch districts to Jammu," said Nishikant Saraf, resident and a social worker. "Since the department has supplied power to Rajouri and Poonch for just three hours in the last two days, people are facing trying times due to humid weather conditions," he added. The chief engineer of the PDD couldn't be contacted.