As bone-chilling winds howl through the Kashmir Valley this winter, a merciless nightmare grips every hamlet. Temperatures plunge to -10°C in Srinagar, -15°C in remote Pahalgam and Gulmarg, turning breath into ice and rivers into stone. Compounding this frozen agony is the chronic collapse of electricity supply, plunging millions into abject darkness. Homes tremble without heaters, water taps yield only icicles, and hospitals flicker on dying generators. The people of Kashmir, resilient yet exhausted, now face a hell where survival demands defiance against nature and neglect.
The crisis stems from entrenched failures. Kashmir’s fragile grid—reliant on aging hydro plants and snow-clogged transmission lines—buckles under winter’s assault. Heavy snowfall snaps towers in Kargil and Baramulla, isolating villages for weeks. The Power Development Department admits scheduled cuts of 8-12 hours daily, yet unscheduled blackouts stretch into days. Coal-fired backups falter amid transport delays through blocked passes. Official data reveals transmission losses nearing 40% in rural feeders—double the national average. Subsidies for apple orchards and pashmina looms divert power, leaving households powerless. Promises of 24×7 supply under Ujjwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana ring hollow when meters stay dark.
Suffering cuts deep. Elders in Kupwara burn damp wood in kangris, choking on smoke. Children in Anantnag abandon studies as lanterns dim. Women trek miles through snow for firewood, risking frostbite. Clinics in Bandipora lose vaccines to cold chains broken by outages. Tourism, Kashmir’s lifeline, withers as houseboats freeze and hotels shutter. This is no seasonal hardship—it’s a humanitarian emergency eroding lives and livelihoods.
The government offers excuses: “extreme weather,” “geopolitical constraints,” “fund shortages.” Yet Srinagar’s VIP enclaves glow while Dal Lake’s shikaras drift in darkness. Schemes like Saubhagya electrified homes but forgot reliability. Blame shifts between Centre and Union Territory, accountability vanishes.
Action is overdue. Insulate lines, deploy micro-hydel and solar backups, clear snow routes for coal. Enforce penalties on discoms, empower panchayats with off-grid solutions. Make power a right, not a winter lottery.
Kashmir’s frozen darkness demands light—now. Its people endure enough; they deserve warmth, dignity, and hope.
