'Smart meters installed, power curtailment as per non metered areas': Kulgam residents seek answers

January 3, 2025 by News Desk

Danishwar Hameed

Residents of Kulgam town in south Kashmir have expressed frustration over power supply issues, claiming discrepancies between official designations and the actual situation on the ground.

Despite assurances that Kulgam would function as a smart-metered zone, an official curtailment schedule reveals that the town is listed under non-metered areas.

The document, issued by the local power department, places Kulgam alongside other non-metered zones, contradicting earlier statements about improved power supply for smart-metered areas.

Residents argue that this misclassification has led to frequent outages and disrupted daily life.

A local shopkeeper voiced his concerns, saying, “We were promised uninterrupted electricity after installing smart meters, but we face the same outages as everyone else. This is severely impacting our businesses.”

Students preparing for exams have also been affected. “The frequent cuts in the evening make it impossible to study. This smart-metering system feels like a joke,” a student told The Kashmiriyat.

Another resident added, “We had hoped smart meters would reduce power cuts, but instead, we’re paying higher bills without any improvement in supply.”

The power department has yet to clarify the discrepancy or address the concerns of the residents.

Meanwhile, the locals have demanded immediate rectification of the situation and a transparent explanation for the classification in the official schedule