The residents of border town Uri and its adjoining areas in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Wednesday staged a protest against the Power Development Department (PDD) over the erratic power supply.
Shouting anti-PDD slogans, the protesters blocked the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road at the main town for over two hours, disrupting the traffic movement.
Chairman Beopar Mandal Uri Haji Mohammad Shafi told Greater Kashmir that they have been suffering for the last two months due to the unscheduled power cuts. “At a time when the power department claims to provide better power supply in winters but the electricity in our areas remains off for maximum hours,” he said.
He said that no schedule has been framed for power cuts by the PDD. “They snap it whenever they find it good,” he said.
Shafi added that students were suffering a lot as they have been preparing for their board exams these days.
The protesters hailed from the villages like Garkote, Nambla, Balkote, Thajal, Tillawari and others.
The protest was also staged against the Border Roads Organization (BRO) for failing to repair and macadamize the main road of Uri town. “It is in a dilapidated condition for the last many years and filled with potholes,” said Shabir Ahmad Chalkoo, Chairman Civil Society Uri.
He said though the matter was brought into the notice of concerned authorities a number of times but nothing has been done so far.
However, Naib tehsildar Uri Mushtaq Ahmad Balote visited the spot and assured of immediate action. Later, the protesters dispersed off peacefully.