Uri villages reel under darkness, roads closed for fifth day

Idrees Bukhtiyar
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27 Jan 2026

Srinagar, Jan 26: Residents of border town Uri in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district continue to face severe hardships as electricity and road connectivity remain disrupted in several areas for the past five days. According to reports, villages including Garkote, Nambla, Thajal, Tilawari, Silikote, Mothal, Hathlanga, Charunda, Batgran, Sukhdar, Gohalan, Gowalta and Sultandaki in Uri, and Nowshera, Trikanjan, Maidanan, Bernate, Dudran, Chotali, Slasan, Gagarhill, Limber, Dara, Dhani, Chullan, Kalsan, Ghati, Zamboorpattan, Babagail, Lachipora and Mayan in Boniyar tehsil, continue to remain without electricity. Locals in Garkote village alleged that they have been repairing damaged power lines on their own and have been living in darkness for the last five days. “The power department has deputed just one lineman for five villages. How is it possible to restore damaged lines on time with such limited manpower?” the residents said, adding that shortage of staff in Uri power division is delaying restoration. Residents have also raised serious questions over the functioning of the Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited (KPDCL) in Uri. While KPDCL on Sunday claimed that 60 per cent of electricity had been restored in Uri sub-division, locals said the claim was not reflected on the ground as many villages continue to reel under darkness. Several villages in Uri and Boniyar also remain cut off from their respective tehsil headquarters for the fifth consecutive day, severely hampering the movement of residents. The villages that continue to remain inaccessible include Nambla B and C, Charunda, Hathlanga, Batgran, Gohalan, Gowalta, Dudran, Chotali, Limber and Babagail, among others. “Our village continues to remain closed for traffic and we are suffering immensely. No authority is listening to our woes or ready to address them,” said Talib Hussain, a resident of Hathlanga village. Residents in several areas of Uri alleged that the concerned departments have failed to clear roads properly. However, Imran Latief, Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE), KPDCL Uri, said that 80 percent of electricity would be restored in Uri sub-division by tonight. “Teams are on the job to restore services at the earliest,” he said. Meanwhile, Executive Engineer PMGSY Uri, Sajjad Hussain Shah, told Rising Kashmir that restoration work was still underway. “Snow clearance is in progress on 20 roads, while 25 roads have already been cleared,” he said. He added that clearance was taking time due to hilly terrain and heavy snow accumulation.