Unscheduled power cuts in Kashmir, tourism sector badly affected

MASROOR AHMAD

SRINAGAR: The unscheduled power cuts in Kashmir has raised concerns among the common people and those associated with tourism sector. This is for the first time in decades that the Kashmir valley is witnessing a power crises in the late spring season and the arrival of summer season. This issue arose at the time when Kashmir is set to welcome lakhs of tourists. Another concern is the continued shutdown in many areas of Srinagar city, which are tourist areas, where hotels and guest houses are full of tourists. Even with the onset of summer when rivers are overflowing with water, is not only surprising but baffling too. Tourists are also facing the brunt of poor power supply. The recent announcement by the Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited (KPDCL) regarding limited power availability has sparked concerns among stakeholders in the tourism sector, particularly houseboat owners and hoteliers, who say they are grappling with the adverse effects on their services to visitors. Manzoor Ahmad Pakhtoon, President of the Kashmir Houseboat Association expressed dismay over the heightened power curtailments, stating that it was adversely impacting their ability to provide satisfactory services to tourists staying at the houseboats. “Enhanced power curtailment is affecting us badly, even our electricity backup is not getting charged. And we cannot rely on the use of gensets every time, as that involves a lot of expenditure,” he said. Pakhtoon said that if the electricity situation persists, it would leave visitors with a negative impression, and would undermine tourism sector and the destination promotional efforts by government and stakeholders. Secretary-General of the J&K hoteliers Club, too highlighted the struggles faced by hoteliers due to the electricity crisis. “We have to rely on gensets which inflict huge expenditure. This is going beyond our limits,” he stated. He said that they had raised the issue with the Union Minister for Railway and Petroleum during his recent visit to Kashmir, receiving a positive response. “If our room has a tariff of Rs 5000, we have to spend almost the same amount to keep the room lit up with facilities and when there is an increase in tariff, there is hue and cry. This is going beyond our limits, how can we run our business with limited electricity”, he said. He added that there is a necessity of ensuring at least 20 hours of electricity availability for the hotel industry to function smoothly. Notably, KPDCL earlier this week, stated about the limited power availability and an unavoidable increase in power curtailment in the valley. The corporation urged consumers to bear with the situation and ensure judicious use of power, especially during peak hours.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), KPDCL stated, “Due to limited power availability, there has been an unavoidable increase in power curtailment. These restrictions will be eased once power availability improves.” The corporation appealed to consumers to avoid exceeding sanctioned loads and hooking, emphasizing responsible power usage.