Valley waits for real power

‘‘There is an absolute power crisis,’’ says Showkat Ahmad, Chief Engineer, J-K Power Development Department.

‘‘There is no way out. Power has become a trading commodity and states that generate thermal or nuclear energy demand more money for their electricity,’’ says Ahmad.

Demand in the Valley during peak hours is 1710 MW, says Nayeem Akhtar, Secretary to CM Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, adding, ‘‘we have just 560 MW available’’.

‘‘The Centre has curtailed 600 MW from the 1100 MW entitled to us while our own generation has dropped by 240 MW,’’ says Akhtar.

‘‘The state government cannot bring any positive change in the power situation. It is not in our hands at all,’’ he says.

With the government shrugging its shoulders, people spend the nights by huddling around stoves or clutching kangris (charcoal hand baskets).

‘‘There is no life,’’ says Mohammad Ashraf, a resident of the posh Jawaharnagar locality. ‘‘My entire family sits, eats and sleeps in one room where we have a gas bukhari (heater). My children can’t do their homework. We used to watch TV. Now the evenings are long and boring,’’ says Ashraf.

His neighbour Manzoor Ahmad, who runs a crockery store, says he doesn’t work for more than four hours these days. ‘‘I go to my shop late and then wait in the cold to down the shutters,’’ he says.

Outside Srinagar, the situation is worse.

Many villages haven’t had power for weeks and towns too are reeling under frequent blackouts.

‘‘We don’t know what load-shedding means because we have been living in total darkness for the last three weeks,’’ says Ghulam Nabi Ganai, a school teacher in Baramulla.

‘‘At least, you have electricity for few hours in Srinagar, here it is a blackout,’’ says Ganai.

The state government, however, denies that the power position is any worse in villages. ‘‘Our government has brought one change. There is a fair distribution of darkness across Kashmir,’’ says Akhtar.

According to him, the Indus water treaty with Pakistan has stripped the state of all its rights on river waters. ‘‘If we are allowed to construct the Tulbul Barrage, we will be able to generate enough power. But we cannot build dams on the rivers…Pakistan has even raised objections to projects such as Baghlihar,’’ says Akhtar.

According to officials, National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) projects in the state mainly benefit the Centre.

For instance, an official points out that Uri Civil—an NHPC project set up by a Swedish consortium—provides a mere 12 per cent of its 480 MW generation capacity to the state. And then, there’s this bizarre twist to the power story.

The government, officials say, spends Rs 1900 crore annually to buy electricity, but its revenue is just Rs 350 crore.

‘‘People just don’t pay their dues,’’ says Chief Engineer Showkat.

Consider these:

• Rs 5 crore goes to paying power bills of over 10,000 places of worship

• Rs 5.6 crore is due from 209 stations, temporary camps, bunkers and 126 other establishments of J-K Police and its armed wing

• Rs 102.6 crore is due from other security establishments

• Rs 806.5 crore is yet to be recovered from ordinary consumers and government/ semi-government institutions

Yet, the state government firmly believes that relief is around the corner.

There’s already the Lower Jhelum power facility, with a peak generation of 105 MW, say officials. And, the Baghlihar project, when completed, will add 450 MW in the first phase. Also on the horizon is a 600 MW Rs 5,000-cr project at Sawalakote.

Till then, people like crockery store owner Ahmad say they have to fall back on ‘‘traditional ways of heating though it means additional infrastructure and a lot of firewood’’.