Political parties try to woo voters with free electricity

Jammu, August 22

Ahead of the Assembly elections, political parties are trying to woo voters with the promise of free electricity — an issue that is likely to touch a large population of the UT.

Both National Conference (NC) and Apni Party have promised the electorate free units of electricity, if voted to power. While the NC has promised 200 units of free power, Apni Party has assured people of 500 free units.

Congress leaders in Jammu, including former minister Choudhary Lal Singh, have also said that the party manifesto would include free electricity for the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

Power has always been a major issue in both regions of Kashmir and Jammu. People living in the Jammu plains face power shortage almost every summer, while the lack of electricity supply causes problems for residents of the Kashmir valley during winters every year.

The power tariff in Jammu and Kashmir is fixed by the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC), which is an independent body. These rates are calculated to cover costs such as power purchase, genuine transmission expenses, staffing and maintenance, to ensure that consumers are charged fairly.

As per the official records, power meters have been installed in only 32 per cent households in Kashmir. This amounts to a total of 3,18,605 residential consumers against the total residential consumer base of 9,82,125. The remaining 68 per cent of residential consumers in the Valley are charged on a fixed charges basis, which often does not correspond to their actual load or consumption.

This leads to a significant gap in energy accounting, resulting in substantial losses for power distribution agencies specifically during peak demand periods. The UT administration has been able to install over five lakh smart meters so far.

Additionally, J&K recorded 63 per cent aggregate technical and commercial losses of power in 2021-22, and 44 per cent in 2023-24.

68% households without meters

• As per the official records, power meters have been installed in only 32% households in Kashmir.
• The remaining 68% of residential consumers in the Valley are charged on a fixed charges basis.
• This leads to substantial losses for power distribution agencies specifically during peak demand periods.