Bijay Charak
Early Times Report
JAMMU, July 16: Before Assembly election, BJP had promised to provide round the clock electricity to Jammu if it came to power. But nearly five months of being in government, the BJP's promise has proved a hoax.
As the summer is heading towards its peak with sultry weather making people's life miserable, electricity is playing hide and seek in rural areas of Jammu.
The problem of voltage fluctuation is being reported from several villages of RS Pura including Miran Sahib, Simbal Camp, Palli, Batare Chak, Jarale Chak, Kanal, Sultanpur, besides in Gadigarh, Raipur Satwari, and Chatha of Jammu teshil.
Irked over repeated voltage fluctuations, Vikas Khujaria, a resident of Miran Sahib, said, "One cannot even switch on any electronic gadget as there is every apprehension of damage to them, as sometimes voltage level touches 300 volts and sometimes plunges to 100 volts."
"My new refrigerator was damaged by power fluctuation," Khujaria said.
"Whom should I blame for damage to our refrigerator? Now we avoid switching on gadgets during the night hours."
Khujaria said people of Miran Sahib had demanded from government to upgrade the grid station but to no avail.
"Transformers with low capacity are not able to cope up with the demand of power during peak hours. Several residents are using ACs, which consume more power, resulting into power fluctuation," said another resident.
Arun Sharma, a shop owner at Miran Sahib, said they were suffering losses due to power fluctuations. "The refrigerators are not working properly due to fluctuations. Customers generally refuse to take cold drinks. In every locality or village of RS Pura, electronic gadgets like ceiling fans, coolers, water pumps, refrigerators, CFL lights have been going caput but the department concerned is least bothered."
A retired official of Power Development Department said that during summer season the demand of power increases manifolds but the supply remains same. "As the summer will reach its peak, the power demand will increase. There is a huge gap between the demand and the supply.
To cope up the shortfall, the first preference of department is to curtail power in rural areas, as people with political clout are residing in posh localities, where department is ensuring round the clock power supply", he said.
No senior PDD official could be reached for comment.
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