DM amends order banning heating gadgets in Kashmir’s Ganderbal

SRINAGAR:

Ganderbal

district magistrate Shyambir issued on Saturday an order

banning

the sale and use of heavy heating appliances in this central Kashmir district and warning that “any violation of this order shall attract punitive action as warranted under relevant laws”.

Hours later, after criticism generated heat, the order was revised to say that since it “mentions other devices as well” it “needs correction”. An amendment prohibiting the “sale, purchase and use of of banned nichrome coil based crude water heaters and crude cooking heaters, which do not conform to the relevant specifications of the Bureau of Indian Standard (sic)”, followed late Saturday night.

The earlier order of the Ganderbal DM had banned the “possession, sale, storage and use of heavy heating appliances like blowers, heaters, radiators, etc. to

avoid

any collateral damage to electric supply”.

A few days ago, the Doda DM had banned the sale and use of heating gadgets in the district to address the huge gap in power connections and the consumption of

electricity

.

“It has been apprehended that non-judicious use of electric appliances such as blowers, heaters, radiators, etc. may cause damage to transmission lines due to heavy load, resulting in disturbance in hassle-free power

supply

,” the Ganderbal DM’s order had read before revision.

According to the earlier order, by using the above-mentioned electric appliances there was every apprehension of short circuits, which ultimately result in fires during the winter and loss of life and property.