Srinagar, April 21 (KNS): Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) on Tuesday urged the Lieutenant Governor G.C Murmu led administration to ensure all basic amenities especially ration, water and power supply to the people of Jammu and Kashmir during the holy month of Ramadan.
Emphasizing on the need for stable electricity supply to the people during the pious month, Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari, president JKAP said the government should address the genuine demands of SSI unit holders repairing damaged transformers whose bills have not been cleared by the finance department for the last six months.
According to statement issued to KNS, “With hundreds of transformers developing snag due to overloading and other issues, there is severe power shortage across both divisions of J&K at present and it seems that the authorities at the helm of affairs have developed a cold shoulder approach to deal with the crisis,” Bukhari observed.
He said the SSI Unit holders repairing damaged transformers are on strike because of the lackadaisical approach of the government which has led to sever power shortage in a vast majority of areas in both divisions of Jammu and Kashmir.
Since the damaged transformers remain in workshops for weeks together for repairs, Bukhari said the SSI units repairing transformers should have not been pushed from pillar to post for their genuine claims. “The prevailing dismal power situation is mostly because of delay in restoration of damaged transformers caused by the strike of SSI units. The finance department should immediately order clearance of their bills in view of the holy month of Ramadan,” he demanded.
He urged the government to ensure an uninterrupted power supply during evening and early morning hours across the Kashmir valley so that people don’t face any difficulty. “Besides creating a buffer stock of transformers, the government should also order installation of new and replacement of decaying electric poles, worn out electric wires and fulfill other infrastructural needs of power department for smooth power supply to the people,” the JKAP president stressed.
He said that people in both divisions of Jammu and Kashmir are suffering because of erratic power supply especially during the prevailing COVID-19 lockdown. “The lockdown has posed more challenges to the people especially the school going children who are supposed to remain confined to homes. Amid this situation, power supply has assumed more significance to help people face the weather vagaries and children to pursue online classes,” Bukhari averred.
The JKAP president asked the administration to ensure price stability of essential items which are reportedly being sold to the consumers on exorbitant rates due to COVID-19 lockdown. “The government should also provide free LPG, ration including rice, wheat and sugar to BPL and low income groups in Ramadan in view of the lockdown,” Bukhari remarked.
He observed that as food consumption usually rises in the holy month of Ramadan, the government should ensure that there is no panic buying and supplies running low due to the lockdown. “Home delivery of essential edible items should be ensured in letter and spirit from the identified chain of suppliers to avoid gatherings in front of shops and malls,” Bukhari demanded.
While appealing the people to cooperate with the administration in implementing the physical distancing directives enforced to limit the spread of highly contagious COVID-19 disease, Bukhari hoped that everyone would pay heed to the instructions of Islamic institutions and authorities and avoid gatherings, which lead to the spread of the deadly Coronavirus.(KNS)