Suhail Dar
Aijaz Ahmed Dar runs an ice cream factory in the Batengoo area of south Kashmir along the old highway that connects Jammu with Srinagar. After facing losses for nearly three consecutive years, Aijaz was hopeful that this summer, he will make good money. However, Aijaz now wants to shut down RH Dairy Foods, his business unit. “The power crisis has hit the business severely,” Aijaz said.
One of the worst power crises that the valley has seen in recent times has left the residents aghast and businesses in the valley are suffering immensely. In the ongoing month of Ramadan, the urban areas are seeing cuts as long as 8-10 hours. While, in the rural areas, people say the cuts last as long as 15-17 hours.
From the north of Kashmir to down south, residents are aghast and many have taken to social media to express their anguish over the non-delivery of the promises made by the Jammu Kashmir administration. Protests were also reported from various areas against the installation of digital meters.
Several political groups including the JKNC, JKPDP, and CPIM have expressed dismay over the growing power crisis in the Kashmir valley and in the Jammu region. “PM Modi counted thousands of crores to be given to the region but did not speak a word about the electricity and how NHPC makes Kashmir suffer and deprives Kashmir of its electricity. 45 percent of the overall electricity produced by NHPC comes from the water resources of Jammu Kashmir and here we are reeling under complete darkness,” Mohammed Yusuf Tarigami, Senior CPIM Leader said. He demanded that the people of Jammu Kashmir should be given an equal share in NHPC’s total electricity production.
Officials The Kashmiriyat spoke to blamed the coal shortage and the huge demand amid a low production due to the water scarcity for the ongoing electricity crisis in Jammu Kashmir.
The crisis has cost businesses millions of rupees throughout the valley. Businesses like that of Aijaz continue to be the worst sufferers due to the ongoing electricity crisis, whereas retailers like MT Traders in the heart of Anantnag city had to throw away their ice creams. “I had to throw away stock of more than ₹10,000,” Mohsin, an ice-cream retailer said.
Adding to woes of public
Electricity cuts are not new to Kashmir. The winter months have always been troublesome for the residents. However, the ongoing electricity crisis during the month of Ramadan has left people in complete dismay.
R H Dairy Foods in Batengoo was mostly shut during the last three years after the abrogation of Article 370, which was followed by lockdowns during Covid 19. Since Kashmir is a cold place, ice-creams sell for less than five months in the valley. By September, Ice creams units in the valley halt operations. The peak of the season is April- late July, says Aijaz Ahmed. “We had just begun our manufacturing operations towards the end of March and now that the ice creams were going out to the market, elongated electricity cuts have marred our business. We hardly get four hours of electricity supply,” he told The Kashmiriyat.
Aijaz who gets a monthly bill of over ₹4000 for electricity consumption says he does not understand the purpose of the electricity bills since Kashmir never gets electricity. “The past twenty days have been the worst of my life,” he stated. Uncertain about the state of electricity, he says, R H Dairy Foods has stopped manufacturing ice-creams as of now.
Once the initial manufacturing takes place, the ice-cream has to be frozen for at least four hours, but the area Aijaz lives in does not get continued electricity supply for more than an hour, he alleged. If the ice cream is frozen for four hours, it has a backup of six hours, which is more than enough for it to reach retailers who then place it in their own refrigerators.
“The problem is the retailers do not get electricity and they are throwing away the melted stock and not ordering anything,” he said, adding that the factories produce bulk quantity of stock, which is now confronted with the risk as well. “We cannot always run the generator. The oil is also very costly. In the past ten days, our unit which is comparatively smaller in size faced losses worth ₹2 lakhs,” he said.
Aijaz says that the past three years have been pathetic for his business. “I have a lot of hopes this year. As for the administration, it seems to be trying its best to make people suffer. But let us see,” he says. Aijaz said if the administration plans to continue with the policy of ‘Hide and Seek’ with the electricity, they should purchase the refrigerators of R H Dairy Foods. “We cannot sustain the business like this. They should come and purchase the refrigerators and freezers from ice-cream factories across Kashmir,” Aijaz said.
Officials at the Jammu Kashmir’s power department said the total demand in the region is 1,600 MW and only 900-1100 MW are lined up. “Water scarcity has reduced the power generation from the hydro-power projects in the Chenab,” the official said.
The coal imports to Jammu Kashmir and several parts of India have been hit due to the ongoing war between Russia-Ukraine.