With winters on the way, Jammu and Kashmir receive the harshest cold winds. On Saturday, the district magistrate of Ganderbal, where temperatures in the day are ten degrees and at night drop to two degrees issued an unexpected statement imposing a blanket ban on the use or possession of heavy heating appliances such as blowers, heaters, radiators etc.
In a statement released on Saturday, the DM said that the order was passed to avoid collateral damages to the electric supply (transmission lines and transformers) due to the heavy load that comes from using heavy heating appliances.
The statement mentioned that heaters, radiators can cause damage to transmission lines resulting in disturbance of hassle-free power supply.
The DM in the statement mentioned that the ban will help in avoiding short circuits and fire accidents. Violation of this order will be against the law.
TMC’s Saket Gokhale responded to the issue and called it ‘shocking’ and ‘inhumane’
“This is shocking & inhuman. The DM of Ganderbal (a non-Kashmiri) in J&K has ordered a blanket ban on use & possession of heaters in homes. The temperature in Ganderbal right now is 10 degrees in the day & 2 degrees at night. Are you running a penal colony, @dcganderbal?” he asked.
