Hattian Bala (Kashmir English): Prolonged load shedding in Hattian Bala and its adjacent areas, including the Business Hub of Chinari. These areas are still facing severe power outages as the authorities at the Khatai Power House have not taken any steps to resolve the issue. The residents said that they get electricity for only 10 to 20 minutes and then hours or even a whole night of blackouts. Despite public complaints, officials remain silent and do not provide any alternative solutions.
According to sources, the current crisis is a result of a mix of water shortages, negligence on the part of the Power Development Organization (PDO), faulty machinery at the Khatai Power House, and mismanagement by the staff in charge. The disruption has had a significant impact on daily life, with businesses losing money and students unable to prepare for their exams due to a lack of electricity.
Adding to the misery, the Azad Jammu and Kashmir government had bought a 26-megawatt transformer worth RS300 million last year for its installation at Hattian Bala Grid Station. However, more than a month has gone by, and the AJK Electricity Department is still unable to get a substitute for the broken transformer. Sources say that the faulty transformer has been sent to WAPDA for repair work and is due to return to Hattian Bala on February 28.
Residents are questioning why a repaired transformer is being accepted when a new one was already purchased for RS300 million. They demand that the new transformer be installed at the grid station instead of relying on the repaired unit. Furthermore, even if WAPDA delivers the repaired transformer on February 28, its installation is expected to take three to four days, leaving the public without electricity for an extended period.
With Ramadan going to start and people of the area urging that the Prime Minister and Chief Secretary of AJK must take this step seriously regarding the timely arriving and installation in a functional form of a transformer, the very need for constant power supply gets more emphasized- especially when Ramzan is very close- a sense of urge has been forwarded for the effective resolution of crisis.
