Reports: Beigh Irshad
Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited (KPDCL) has enforced prolonged power curtailments during the peak winter season, triggering widespread public outrage and raising serious questions about accountability, planning, and power sector reforms. Notably, several areas claimed to be 100 per cent smart-metered have also been subjected to these cuts, contradicting repeated government assurances of uninterrupted 24×7 power supply.
In urban areas, KPDCL has, over the past few days, begun enforcing 6 to 10 hours of power curtailment, spread across multiple time slots from morning till evening. The prolonged and unpredictable outages have severely disrupted daily life at a time when electricity is essential for heating, water supply, and basic household needs.
The situation is particularly grim in Kangan, where residents allege that power cuts extend to 10–12 hours daily, plunging entire localities into darkness for long periods. Locals claim that electricity supply remains erratic and uncertain, compounding hardships during the harsh winter.
Residents of Kangan further alleged that their electricity bills have nearly doubled over the past few months, placing an unbearable financial burden on poor and middle-class families. They accused the authorities of imposing excessive tariffs, stating that people are being pushed to extreme distress, forcing some families to sell their valuables, livestock, and even land to clear hefty power bills.
Adding to the resentment, residents alleged that entire areas were kept without electricity for days after some households failed to pay the inflated bills, calling the move discriminatory and inhumane. They demanded immediate relief, a review of tariffs, and a transparent audit of billing and power supply practices.
The residents have urged the government and KPDCL to intervene urgently, restore regular power supply, rationalise tariffs, and honour assurances made to the public—especially during the peak winter months.
