The Biz Reporter
Srinagar, Apr 24: Sheikh Ishfaq Jabbar, the former legislator and president of JKUM, has come down heavily on the power department for its failure to ensure reliable power supply amid frequent outages across the Kashmir valley.
In a strongly-worded tweet today, Jabbar accused the Power Development Department (PDD) of completely failing to provide services to its consumers despite hiking electricity charges multiple times over the past six months.
“PDD has completely failed to provide services to its consumers…The electricity charges have been hiked up almost three times during the last six months. Only meetings and fake promises by the department..Worst scenario,” Jabbar wrote in a tweet, tagging Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha’s office.
The former JKUM chief’s criticism comes in the wake of the power crisis that has gripped Kashmir for several weeks, with many areas facing outages lasting over 12 hours a day. Residents have been up in arms against the PDD, staging protests and demanding immediate resolution of the issue.
Jabbar alleged that the department has been organizing meetings and making false promises instead of taking concrete steps to improve the power situation. He questioned the rationale behind the repeated tariff hikes when the department has failed to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply.
“It is unacceptable that the common people have to bear the brunt of the PDD’s incompetence and mismanagement. The government needs to hold the department accountable and take immediate measures to address the power crisis,” Jabbar said.
The former legislator’s criticism has added to the mounting pressure on the power department, which has been facing flak from various quarters, including political parties, civil society groups, and the general public.
Authorities have maintained that the power crisis is a result of the rising demand due to harsh winters and have assured that efforts are being made to improve the situation in the coming days.
