MESSAGE BOARD
NEWSLINKS
US EDITION
COLUMNISTS
DIARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ELECTION 99
ELECTIONS
ARCHIVES

Search Rediff

Blasts cripple power supply, J&K faces worst winter

Mukhtar Ahmad in Srinagar

When fear in the snow-clad, violence-torn Kashmir is accentuated by complete darkness, the chill goes down one's spine. Winter has never been darker for the Kashmiris, as it is this January.

The power supply in the troubled valley was crippled four five days back by two massive blasts at Qazigund and Wagoora in Budgam district damaging the 420 KVA, 220 KVA and 132 KVA transmission lines on which the power is imported by the state from the northern grid.

While admitting responsibility for the two massive blasts, the frontline Lashkar-e-Toiba in a statement said, "We won't allow the export of power to outside."

The militant outfit has warned of more attacks on the valley grid stations and engineers of the department "if the valley people were not provided with power".

Chief Engineer (electric maintenance, Kashmir) Ali Mohammad Matoo told rediff.com that the "power situation in Kashmir is unlikely to improve in the near future as spares for the re-construction of the damaged towers at Qazigund in south Kashmir and at Wagoora in central Kashmir have to be airlifted from outside the state".

Moreover the erection of the towers also needs special equipment which is also not available in the valley. Two gas turbine units also could not be pressed into service due to the non-availability of spares in the valley.

The entire valley including the summer capital Srinagar now gets power only for one hour every day.

"We don't have power. We know the residents are having a tough time due to the recent snowfall and frequent crackdowns by the security forces," said a top state government official.

"We have to continue the cordon-and-search operations in the entire valley including Srinagar in view of the latest spurt in violence and the Republic Day," he said.

Fear-stricken residents in Srinagar return home before darkness envelops the valley. "My children refuse to sleep as troops patrol our area in darkness. Soon I may have to take them to a psychiatrist. They hate dark nights," said a lady teacher living in the vicinity of Srinagar's Bakshi stadium where the main Republic Day function would be held.

The anger is against the National Conference government headed by Dr Farooq Abdullah who has not bothered to visit the valley following the major power breakdown.

The valley people had already been facing hardships due to the month-long government employees' strike. Non-availability of essential items including fresh vegetables and mutton due to the closure of the Srinagar-Jammu national highway, lack of drinking water and closure of treasuries are the main problems faced by the people.

With militants intensifying their attacks and security forces mounting operations in the valley, it seems this winter would be the toughest ever faced by the Kashmiris.

Tell us what you think of this report