Post snowfall, Budgam villages continue to reel under darkness

Naveed Ul Haq
Budgam: Several villages here in Central Kashmir’s Budgam district are reeling under complete darkness since past more than a week.
The residents of Kanidajan, Bonyar, and Sursayar alleged that they get power supply for merely 10 minutes and said that since snowfall they are reeling under complete darkness as power supply goes off and remains unrestored for days and hours together.
“When the Hydro-power project was set up in our neighbouring village in around 2006 we were told by Government that entire area will get 24 x 7 power supply but fact is that we are not even provided power supply for few hours in the day,” residents of Surasyar Chadoora, told KNO.
They said that the 7.5 Megawatt power project constructed in nearby Branwar village many years back by a private company from Chandigrah has not been able to mitigate power crisis in the villages of Susaryar block and local villages continue to suffer.
“In absence of power supply, people are facing biggest inconvenience. We pay more than Rs 500 fee per month towards Power Development Department (PDD) but we don’t even use the energy for Rs 100,” said a resident of Kanidajan, Chararisharief.
Residents appealed higher authorities to intervene in the matter so that people could have a sigh of relief.