Why we say ”fails again” is because of a mismatch between tall claims of improvement in power supply and distribution and the ground realities, ”fails again” because each year after encountering frequent, unspecified and abrupt power breakdowns, we expect as we are assured, that the position would improve next year but again not to be seen. It is the same story of unpreparedness, passing on the buck, putting forth alibis by the Power Department and the sufferings of the people. This year , even though the summer season has just shown its proper arrival, the power system over the last four days was seen totally in a shambles, in tatters and in a disarray. The strange thing over that all is there is none, right from a junior class employee to a lineman to a Junior Engineer to higher authorities of the Power Development Department (PDD) even to respond to public calls . That is more excruciating than the tormenting due to long power cuts. At the outset, we would like to know as to who is responsible in this otherwise considered very important Department to take care of Public Assistance, Public Complaints, Queries, Inquiries etc regarding the status of power supply and allied matters? We expect the UT top administration to please explain the same to the general public . Could the Department clarify as to how many public calls they responded to during the last four difficult days, which of SoS nature, were made by the aggrieved but anguished “consumers” of the PDD whilst braving temperature of 41 to 42 degrees Celsius without electricity in their homes?
What meaning or relevance have ‘Smart City ‘ or ‘Digital India’, New mega power projects here and there or other much hyped slogans to a suffering old person, a COVID isolated sick, an ailing person, children huddled in rooms due to COVID fear and the like, without power. They were all suffering, sweating and gasping and fanning themselves with whatever they could lay their hands upon as they waited in vain for power restoration. What relief does a housewife attending to kitchen work without power around, get by hearing taller claims made by the PDD about power position improving despite strict instructions given by the Lieutenant Governor to take care of the problems of people in respect of uninterrupted supply of power. Why should it be a continuous, perhaps lifelong nightmare, a fait accompli to face low voltage, lightening like ”going away” of the power and “coming back ” at its sweet will, day after day, week after week, month after month and shockingly year after year. When will the continuous ordeal end? Whatever the people in the City of Temples faced during the last four-five days is known to every soul living in this city and when this is the care taken of the city dwellers of an important city, the capital city, what could be the fate of the rural Jammu is not difficult to comprehend.
It is not our baby to raise our blood pressure in thinking about the problems of the PDD whether battling with old power infrastructure, wastage in transmissions, power theft, less revenue and more expenditure, incompetence and corruption, less staff and no fresh recruitments, non realising of crores of Rupees of long outstanding power Bills, undue political interference and other afflictions. The people want deliverance and no deficient service from the Department and uninterrupted power supply and admittedly against payment, that too timely from them. Those who do not pay within the stipulated time must face suspension of power supply and usual penalties – no qualms about that but no cock and bull story about supply disruptions. Now, the Department has come out with the ”Authorised” power shedding schedule which will be implemented in respective areas till the end of June this year but we would like to urge the government to review this ”authorised” power cut and take steps for uninterrupted – 24 hours power supply. That is the right of every consumer of the PDD. Enough is very much enough and no more endurance on that count.
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