In the dark of the Valley
The long spell of power outages has added to the pangs of residents of Kashmir valley already worried about mandatory installation of smart meters. Peerzada Ashiq finds out why the UT continues to remain a dark spot
amzan, the Islamic holy month marked by dawntodusk fast, was never easy, but it has been particularly hard this time in Kashmir with people mostly beginning and breaking their fast in the dark.
With the fasting period beginning on March 11, chronic power outages that last 10 to 16 hours make cooking, washing and showering before prayers difficult.
Gruelling, unscheduled power outages are not new to Kashmir but the situation, residents say, usually improves after midwinter and is almost restored by Marchend. The unprecedented rise in power cuts this year during Ramzan have overwhelmed the residents with no explanation provided by the authorities overseeing the generation and distribution of electricity in Kashmir valley. “Power outages continue unabated throughout Jammu & Kashmir. One would think that the PDD [Power Development Department] would make more efforts to ensure adequate power supply during Ramzan,” Iltija Mufti, daughter of former J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, said.
The long spell of outages has added to the pangs of residents already saddled with the mandatory installation of smart meters. J&K’s power department has started a largescale drive to install prepaid smart meters, increased tariffs and cracked down on consumers defaulting on their bills to reduce its losses. This has caused anxiety among residents, especially from lowerincome groups, which describe electricity bills as “exorbitant and unaffordable”. Amir Wani, a salesman, is among hundreds of anxious locals of Saidapora Achan area, a suburb in Srinagar mostly inhabited by lowerincome groups. “Electricity supply was cut
Roff for prolonged hours as a collective punishment in freezing weather. PDD officials have threatened several times to permanently cut off supply if smart meters were not installed and monthly charge not paid as per usage, unlike the flat rate offered to us in the past,” Amir, who is the sole breadwinner of a family of eight, said.
J&K, like many other regions in India, has both unmetered and metered connections. The UT has a total of 21.95 lakh electricity connections. A senior PDD official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, put the meter coverage at 51%. People with unmetered connections pay a flat rate every month while those with meters pay according to actual usage. Also, in both cases, electricity bills were payable in monthly cycles and the power department rarely cut the connections in case of payment delays. The installation of smart meters, a nationwide exercise, will change that since consumers will have to recharge their meters before consuming electricity – just like they recharge prepaid mobile phones. If the meters aren’t recharged, electricity supply will automatically stop. “With most people earning around ₹15,000₹ 20,000 a month in Saidapora, who can afford to pay ₹3,000₹ 4,000 every month to keep two rooms warm in winters?” said Amir. According to him, the monthly power bill far exceeds the school fees that he pays for his two children every month.
Abrogation of Article 370
The Centre’s move to end the special constitutional status of J&K in 2019 was followed by a massive structural revamp of the power sector in J&K. The Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 of Parliament repealed the J&K Electricity Act, 2010, and installed, in its place, the Central Electricity Act, 2003. In October 2019, the J&K administration approved the unbundling of the PDD into several corporations – J&K State Power Transmission Company Ltd, J&K State Power Trading Company Ltd, Jammu Power Distribution Company Ltd ( JPDCL) and Kashmir Power Distribution Company Ltd (KPDCL). The aim, a government spokesman said, was to make these utilities selfreliant and costefficient. While smart meters are being installed in phases, the utilities have already increased tariffs for various categories of consumers. “There has been a unilateral increase in the flat rates from ₹900 to ₹1,500. Notwithstanding the increase, unmetered areas suffer more than 10 hours of power cuts a day,” Nazim Dar, a teacher and Saidapora resident, said.
He said the nonavailability of power supply has affected the health of old patients, especially those suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Just for context, Kashmir valley, home to over 70 lakh people, reports a high prevalence of COPD cases at 17.3%, and doctors prescribe longterm oxygen therapy that extends up to 15 hours a day. “Besides oxygen supply, they need a warm room to survive the winter,” Nazim said, adding that power cuts are also taking a toll on students’ education.
J&K’s power scenario has been grim over the years, given the growing demand and poor revenue generation. For decades, it has suffered from power liability. The UT borrowed ₹32,000 crore in the past two years to pay outstanding dues to suppliers — NHPC Ltd and NTPC Ltd, which are both owned by the Central government. Official figures point out ₹6,234 crore revenue deficit, with the government spending ₹9,886 crore on buying electricity annually and generating revenue of around ₹3,652 crore.
The tariff hike and the smart meter drive are aimed at bridging this deficit. The PDD says it has covered 1.5 lakh consumers in Jammu and Srinagar cities under smart meters. It plans to step up coverage to 5.50 lakh smart meters this year and target 14 lakh consumers by 2026. “The flat rate bills, based on rough estimates, do not reflect the actual usage... In the present era, where energy measurements are digitally done right from the generating end, it is paramount to ensure accurate measurement at the consumers’ end too,” the PDD said in a statement.
Payment delays and power thefts have also prompted the authorities to impose penalties and disconnect supply. Mussarat Islam, Managing Director of KPDCL, informed earlier this year that 26,746 electricity connections were disconnected in January 2024 for nonpayment of dues. “Around ₹7.50 crore was collected on account of penalties imposed on those consumers who were stealing power by unauthorised means,” he added. In central Kashmir’s Budgam, the KPDCL has started confiscating faulty transformers till dues are cleared, leaving hundreds of consumers in darkness.
Residents of Budgam’s Ichgam area recently took to the streets against the “highhandedness” of the power department. “We are not rich people. Most residents rely on smalltime income sources. We cannot afford more than ₹700 per month. The department changed our flat rate from ₹660 in November last year to ₹1,560 now — more than doubled in five months. This is zulm (oppression),” a protester said.
As if the long hours of darkness were not enough to break the fortitude of residents battling the worst power crisis in decades, what added insult to their injuries was the electricity department’s attempt to hit back at public criticism by shaming alleged pilferers. The KPDCL posted hundreds of such videos on social media. However, the absence of a similar ‘shaming’ campaign in Jammu has led to murmurs of regional discrimination. “This namingandshaming exercise has tarnished the reputation of taxpaying consumers like me. Our houses reflect the savings of many generations. Many of us inherit big houses but remain without employment,” a consumer, whose house was listed online, said on condition of anonymity.
The poor electricity scenario has become a source of constant street protests in Kashmir after 2019. Women protesters in many areas resisted the installation of meters. In response, the power department imposed blackouts in those areas. In February, an online video went viral where women were seen singing Wanwun, a style of lyrical singing meant for weddings, as a mark of protest in Srinagar’s Eidgah area – Aab to sonuy, power te sonuy, meter kazi lag chuniyah? (Water belongs to us, power belongs to us, why would you install a meter). The KPDCL’s ironhand approach has also resulted in frequent confrontations between consumers and the KPDCL staff.
Descent into darkness
Tariffs and smart meters aside, the origins of J&K’s power problems lie in inadequate generation and high aggregate technical and commercial losses (AT&C). According to official figures, J&K’s power generation capacity is around 3,633 MW, far below its potential of 18,392 MW. NHPC is the highest power generator with a capacity of 2,339 MW from eight hydro projects, followed by the JKPDC with 1,220.96 MW from 23 projects and 1025 MW from nine private producers. This year, as winter demand rose to 3,200 MW, local generation fell to 300600 MW due to reduced water levels in the rivers.
Many residents believe that in the absence of an elected government, even political parties are not interested in taking up their cause. J&K Apni Party ( JKAP) is the only party that has made electricity a poll plank. “Our party [when it comes to power] will provide 500 units of free electricity to consumers of the Valley in winter and 300 units in summer. In Jammu, 500 units would be given free in summer and 300 units in winter. Also, we will give four gas cylinders free to every household annually to reduce dependence on electricity,” Ghulam Hassan Mir, a senior JKAP leader, said. But until the time such promises turn into reality, residents can only wait for the dark period to get over.