Imtiyaz R. Chashti
In Jammu & Kashmir, electricity must no longer be viewed through the narrow lens of commercial consumption or revenue generation. It must be recognised as a critical public utility directly linked to human survival, public health, economic continuity, and social justice. When traditional state support systems such as timber, coal, firewood, and kerosene have been systematically withdrawn, electricity has become the sole remaining lifeline for millions facing unforgiving winters.
To charge exorbitant tariffs or subject people to prolonged outages in such conditions is not just poor governance, it is a failure of moral responsibility. A region blessed with enormous hydropower potential should not be reduced to energy insecurity, especially when its own natural resources are generating power that is exported elsewhere.
The power policy in Jammu & Kashmir must therefore transition from a profit-oriented framework to a welfare-driven model that accounts for geography, climate vulnerability, and historical context. Winter power subsidies, priority domestic supply, investment in local hydropower infrastructure, and restoration of region-sensitive welfare measures are not concessions, they are obligations of a responsible state.
Electricity here is not about convenience; it is about preserving life, protecting dignity, sustaining livelihoods, and ensuring that no household is forced to choose between warmth and survival.
In a territory where winter dictates the rhythm of life, denying affordable and reliable electricity is equivalent to denying the right to live with dignity.
