Power supply to Kashmir hospitals affected by snowfall restored: Official

Power supply to all hospitals in Kashmir has been restored after heavy snowfall caused massive damage to power infrastructure in the Valley, officials said on Saturday.

At a meeting held here, Kashmir Divisional Commissioner Baseer Ahmad Khan took stock of electricity restoration works in each district and was informed that power supply has been restored at all hospitals and various parts of the valley, a spokesperson said. Khan also reviewed the overall winter preparedness in the Valley.

He said the district administrations were working round the clock in close coordination with each other to ensure that power supply is restored at all the places at an earliest.

Commissioner Secretary, Power Development Department (PDD), Hirdesh Kumar Singh visited various areas in Srinagar and Baramulla districts to inspect wotks to restore power supply, which was disrupted due to heavy snowfall across the Valley on Thursday and Friday.

Thousands of electric poles and numerous transformers were damaged due to the unprecedented snowfall, the spokesperson said, adding heavy damage to 220KV and 132KV lines resulted in complete failure of grid stations.

The Power Distribution Corporation and Transco Limited took up the restoration work on a war footing and power supply in most areas of Srinagar city and other district headquarters was restored.

The commissioner secretary was assured by chief engineers that power supply in the Valley would be fully restored in the next four to five days, the spokesperson said, adding the divisional commissioner was informed that snow on all the major roads across the Valley has been cleared.

The divisional commissioner directed the horticulture department to assess the damage of crops and infrastructure due to the snowfall and submit their reports to the deputy commissioners concerned, the spokesperson said, adding Khan asked the deputy commissioners to disburse financial relief in case of deaths and damage of property.

He also directed health officials keep life-saving medicines and surgical goods in stock so patients do not face any difficulty. He also directed officials to maintain 100 per cent attendance and not to leave the place of posting without informing his office, the spokesperson said.