The critical power supply in Jammu and Kashmir saw tempers going high in the State legislature during the budget session of the House. The unprecedented snowfall this season has taken everyone by surprise and it spoke on the health of power supply with Valley remaining dark. Providing uninterrupted domestic power supply always remained a vexatious issue for the government and the Power Development Department (PDD) despite the fact Jammu and Kashmir is purchasing power from Central pool. The State with its vast hydro-electric wealth does not produce enough to cater to the domestic demand, the Transmission and Distribution (T&D) loss has remained always on the higher side with old outdated and poor infra structure. Even the former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed during his tenure had asked PDD to provide uninterrupted power supply to consumers as there has been some improvement in power supply. The governments of the day have been talking of taking back hydro-electric power projects from public sector to make them workable for the State’s requirement but it has remained a nonstarter till date. The issue of transfer of power projects have remained a knotted one for the State, Centre and power majors like NHPC, which is manning all the hydro-power projects in the State, till date. It was then Chief Minister Omar Abdullah who had made bold statements to get back Salal and Dulhasti from NHPC and the Shahpur Kandi projects on the propriety of the usage of water. Omar at that time had made a strong case for raising free power quota from existing 12 to 30 per cent in all Central hydro-electric projects in the State. He also sought compensation to the State for Indus Water Treaty that restricts Jammu and Kashmir from exporting hydel power and tapping irrigation potential in full measures. Since exclusive and equitable development of three regions of the State stands at the core of Govt’s agenda, the delivery of basic services and public goods across the rivers and remoteness of the State requires generous and sympathetic financial support, he had said few years back. Though at that time Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which was in opposition had taken cudgels for the economic betterment of farmers. After the 2014 elections PDP came to power but the power situation has remained where it was during the NC regime.
