Frequent electricity cuts testing residents’ patience

Tribune News Service

Jammu, August 27

It’s not only unscheduled power cuts, which are making life miserable for 15 lakh inhabitants of the city during sweltering and humid weather, but also repeated shutdown schedule issued by the Power Development Department (PDD) to lay aerial bunched cables (ABC).

The shutdown of three to four hours is a routine in almost all the localities in addition to unscheduled cuts these days, when the city is facing the worst weather of summer.

Under the Restructured-Accelerated Power Development and Reforms Programme (R-APDRP), the entire power distribution cables in Jammu are being replaced by tamper-proof wires to curb transmission and distribution (T&D) losses and streamline network.

Every day the PDD issues curtailment schedule for different localities to allow IRCON Ltd to lay cables, which is expected to be completed by end of this year. So far 30 per cent of the city has been covered by ABC.

Resentment is growing against the PDP-BJP government for initiating work during the peak summer season when every day is a struggle to deal with the soaring heat. They question the claims of government that the project is being given priority to streamline the electricity distribution.

The special power cables having plastic covering are being laid in a phased manner across the state.