SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday said efforts were on to restore the power supply in the valley, which was severely hit by the gusty winds and heavy snowfall.
Abdullah said the active power load in the valley is less than 100 Megawatts (MW) against the usual 1700 MW.
“As per KPDCL, the active power load in the valley is less than 100 MW as against the usual 1700 MW, essentially due to the outage of almost all 33KV feeders, including those feeding emergency services,” the chief minister said on his official handle on X.
The chief minister said teams are on the job for rectification, but extensive tree falls on the lines and the windy conditions are major hurdles to be overcome.
“Damage assessment is underway but would take some time owing to prevailing weather conditions,” he added.
High-speed winds swept many places in the valley, including Srinagar, last night, uprooting trees, electricity poles, and rooftops in a few areas, while also snapping power lines.
Many houses and other structures, and vehicles, also suffered damage in a few places.
Electricity was snapped in several areas of the valley, including in the summer capital Srinagar, but restoration work was going on.
Speaking to reporters here later, Abdullah said almost the whole electricity supply system in the valley was shut down due to the bad weather, but the department is working on its immediate restoration.
“There has been damage due to the weather. The damage can be gauged by the fact that while we used to supply 1700 MW of electricity in Kashmir, this morning it was only 100 MW because almost the whole system was shut down due to gusty winds. The department is working on it, and it is hoped that the system will be restored as soon as possible,” he said.
The chief minister said the focus of the government in the wake of snowfall is on restoration of electricity, roads and water supply.
“First, the priority roads are being opened, after which B and C category roads (will be cleared of snow), but one by one, all roads will be reopened.
The focus is on electricity, roads, and then water. All other things will be taken up later,” he added.
He, however, welcomed the snowfall — season’s first in Srinagar — saying that though it got delayed this winter, it is better late than never.
“We had been waiting for this for a long time,” he said, adding that the government prepares for the snow every year.
Abdullah said the snow was very important because it benefits the people in the summer.
“The snowfall, especially in winters, and particularly during Chila-i-Kalan, benefits us later. The snow we get during Chila-i-Kalan benefits us in the summer. If it snows after the Chila-i-Kalan, it melts suddenly. So, thank God that this month we have received this snowfall. And we pray to God that it snows more,” he said.
Asked whether he expects the tourist footfall to increase in the wake of the snowfall, the chief minister said, “It is obvious that after the snow, we can expect more tourists to come”.
“There was a little delay in snowfall. That caused a little loss to tourism. But, this was all over north India. It is not like only we were deprived of snow. Uttaranchal, Himachal, and all places did not receive snowfall this time,” he said.
“But today, the good amount of snowfall that occurred, I have heard that Gulmarg has received more than two feet of snow. We hope that more tourists will come here and we will be able to properly run our ski courses,” he added.
To a question about his pre-budget consultations, Abdullah said discussions with MLAs will take place on Friday.
“This morning, the suggestions and advice of all the stakeholders, including industry, horticulture, agriculture, tourism, and higher education, have been received by us. We will implement those in the budget as far as is possible,” he said. (PTI)