JAMMU, MARCH 30: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today informed the House that normal power supply in the Pahalgam Constituency has been restored following a technical fault at the Gopalpora Grid Sub Station, with field staff undertaking round-the-clock efforts to stabilise the system.
Replying to a Calling Attention Motion moved by MLA Pahalgam Altaf Ahmed Wani (Kaloo), the Chief Minister said that during the intervening night of January 25 and 26, 2026, a 50 MVA, 132/33 kV Power Transformer installed at Grid Sub Station (GSS) Mattan (Gopalpora) developed a technical snag due to heavy snowfall and inclement weather conditions.
He said that the fault led to a temporary reduction in transformation capacity, necessitating additional load shedding on feeders emanating from GSS Mattan to maintain grid stability and prevent overloading.
“Immediately after the fault, technical staff of JKPTCL camped at the Grid Sub Station and worked round-the-clock to restore the system,” he said.
The Chief Minister informed that, as an interim arrangement, a spare 20 MVA, 132/33 kV Power Transformer was installed and commissioned on a war footing basis. “Through sustained efforts of engineers and field staff, the transformer was successfully commissioned on February 4, 2026, restoring normal power supply conditions,” he added.
He further informed that since February 4, 2026, no load restrictions are being imposed from GSS Mattan, and power supply to all feeders has returned to normal.
The damaged 50 MVA transformer, which is under warranty, is being taken up for repairs by the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM). The process for lifting the transformer has already begun, and it is expected to be reinstalled and commissioned within three months.
The Chief Minister said that four 33 kV feeders emanate from GSS Mattan, namely Pahalgam and Iqbalabad (under Sub-Division Sarnal), and Achabal and Gopalpora (under Sub-Division Anantnag). The current capacity of the grid stands at 70 MVA.
He added that during the affected period, curtailment on 11 kV feeders fed through 33 kV Achabal and Gopalpora was extended up to 17 hours daily till February 8, 2026. While areas fed by Iqbalabad, Achabal and Gopalpora feeders are currently receiving power as per the Load Curtailment Programme (LCP), areas under the 33 kV Pahalgam feeder had additional curtailments due to system constraints.
“However, with improvement in weather conditions and increased power allocation, curtailment for areas under the 33 kV Pahalgam feeder has now been revised to 8 hours (6 hours under LCP plus 2 hours additional),” he said.
