Srinagar, April 21 -- The staggering revelation of unpaid electricity dues across government departments and institutions in Jammu and Kashmir is not just a fiscal anomaly; it is symptomatic of a deeper malaise that has crippled the power sector for decades. At a time when citizens endure long hours of darkness in winter and erratic supply in summer, the fact that government agencies themselves are the largest defaulters exposes a culture of indifference and lack of accountability. Power is not a luxury; it is the backbone of modern life, and the failure to manage it responsibly has left ordinary people paying the price for institutional negligence.

Every winter, Kashmir is plunged into a crisis of electricity. Demand surges as household...