Dark and chilly nights continues in Kashmir

Srinagar, Mar 14 (UNI) People in the Kashmir valley continued to face dark and chilly nights for the past three days as the Power Development Department (PDD) is yet to repair the damaged transmission lines and electric poles uprooted due to heavy snowfall.

However, electric supply to hospitals has been restored late last night, officials said.

An official of the Laladed (women) hospital said power was restored at 1300 hrs this afternoon.

Hundreds of electric poles were uprooted after the Kashmir valley, including the summer capital, Srinagar, experienced two to five feet of snowfall on March 12-13.

Transmission lines to different receiving stations were also snapped after trees fell on them due to snowfall. However, officials claimed that main transmission lines to majority stations has been restored.

Electric supply to common people in the city and other major towns in the valley looks a distant dream as hundreds of poles still remained uprooted.

It was a total dark last night in the entire city with minimum temperature dipping to minus 0.6 degree.

However, there was no disruption in the electricity supply in high security Gupkar road from the United Nations Military Observers Office at Sonawar crossing where former Chief Ministers Farooq Abdullah, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, top intelligence officials besides some ministers are residing.

The non-availability of electricity has affected water supply in the city as majority filtration plants in the valley are being supplied water through pumps.

The media organisations, including two national news agencies and all local newspapers have to use generator sets for power supply.

UNI