In light of the abrupt drop in temperatures, the Jammu and Kashmir administration is contemplating a phased winter vacation schedule, starting with primary schools this week. Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Vijay Kumar Bidhuri, confirmed the ongoing deliberations and assured a formal announcement shortly.
Acknowledging the potential impact on the academic year, Bidhuri emphasized the government’s commitment to striking a balance between safeguarding students’ well-being and ensuring uninterrupted education.
Addressing the widespread power outages in Kashmir, Bidhuri attributed the disruptions to the early and intense onset of winter, coupled with decreased rainfall, which has strained generation capacity. He acknowledged the reported power cuts of 4 to 6 hours in metered areas and 8 to 10 hours in non-metered areas.
To address the surge in power demand, particularly in flat-rate power areas, Bidhuri explained the necessity of implementing distress cuts to protect the transmission infrastructure. He also disclosed the formation of a government committee to explore additional power procurement options.
Expressing his understanding of the inconvenience caused by unscheduled power cuts, Bidhuri reiterated the administration’s active efforts to resolve the issue. He expressed confidence that significant improvements in power supply would be evident within a week. He also highlighted the Lieutenant Governor’s intervention in raising the matter with the central government and emphasized the administration’s unwavering commitment to ensuring enhanced power supply.
