Huge snarl on Kashmir highway as Pampore residents protest

Amid shutdown, the residents of  saffron town Pampore Monday protested against the Power Development Department for the erratic power supply in the area. They blocked the Srinagar-Jammu highway at three places for several hours that resulted in massive traffic jam.

Reports said that hundreds of people from Kadlabal, Drung, Frestbal and other areas of the town poured on the highway and held protest demonstrations against the power department.

The call for demonstration was given by Joint Coordination Committee Pampar.

Eyewitnesses said that the protesters blocked the highway for about five hours by erecting barricades and tents. They said that due to the blockade, the traffic came to halt and a heavy traffic jam was witnessed in the area for several hours.

The protesters alleged that PDD has been taking the consumers for a ride, with almost negligible power supplied to the area after floods. The protesters including women alleged that a number of transformers that were damaged due to floods have not been repaired yet.

“Our area is being subjected to unscheduled power cuts and from past few days, the area is completely reeling under darkness forcing us to take to streets,” said the residents.

They accused the department of diverting the power supply to the industrial units in adjoining Khanmoh and Khrew area from the receiving station at Pampar.

“We are being left to suffer and PDD authorities in connivance with the unit holders in these industrial areas are looting the state exchequer,” the protesters alleged. They further accused the authorities of step-motherly treatment to the area and said the department does not even follow their own power curtailment schedule.

Reports said that commuters had to face of lot of inconvenience as the protesters did not allow any vehicle to pass the barricades. In a bid to pacify the protesters, the department’s Executive Engineer Aijaz Mirza and Additional Deputy Commissioner Pulwom Munir-ul-Islam rushed to the spot and assured the members of Joint Coordination Committee to call off the strike and protest demonstration.

After the positive assurances, the people called off the strike and ended blockade.

“We had called for an indefinite strike in the town after Executive Engineer and Additional Deputy Commissioner assured us that the electricity to the town will be supplied as per schedule and all the damaged transformers will be repaired within two days,”  president JCC Haji Abdul Rashid said.