“As usual”: Generator owners’ strike in Al-Hasakah leaves residents without electricity

Residents of Al-Hasakah city are suffering from power outages from private generators for the third day in a row, following the decision of the Autonomous Administration to reduce the subscription price per ampere.

The Autonomous Administration issued a decision to set the price of one ampere, which is estimated at 1 US dollar (about 10 thousand Syrian pounds), after it was previously 1.5 dollars (about 15 thousand Syrian pounds) according to the latest update of the dollar exchange rate against the Syrian pound.

According to the new decision, the price of electricity subscriptions for amperes has become as follows: The evening subscription (8 hours) is estimated at 1 US dollar or its equivalent in Syrian pounds, and the morning subscription (6 hours) is estimated at 3.5 US dollars, while the cost of the subscription over 24 hours has been set at 10 US dollars.

The previous prices were $1.5 for an evening subscription, $4.5 for a morning and evening subscription, and $12 for a 24-hour subscription.

The generator owners rejected the new decision and demanded that the price of diesel be reduced to 30 cents per liter, as it currently costs 45 cents, which increases the costs of operating the generators, according to their description.

The results always have a negative impact on society. The refusal of the generator owners led to a large number of them going on strike, which caused power outages in many neighborhoods of the city.

In contrast, the generator committee in the municipalities confirmed its commitment to the new pricing, stressing the imposition of strict penalties against violators, including fines and seizing the generators.

But according to the residents, the generator owners have no responsibility towards society. The residents describe that they work for their own interests.
One resident of Al-Hasakah city says, “The generator owner cuts off the electricity. He doesn’t care if it’s Ramadan, or if the weather is cold or hot. He doesn’t care about anything. Even when the generator breaks down, they don’t compensate the residents. They are a sword over people’s necks.”

A resident of Al-Mufti neighborhood in Al-Hasakah says that the generator owners don’t care about the laws, or that the officials in the generator committees have interests with the generator owners. Therefore, the victims are the residents.

The power outage has sparked widespread resentment among the residents, especially since it coincides with the month of Ramadan. Abu Muhammad, a resident of Al-Mufti neighborhood, described what is happening to the ASO News Network as “an inhumane act by the generator owners,” stressing that “it is not permissible to cut off electricity to neighborhoods, especially in this blessed month.”

Abu Khaled, a resident of Tal Hajar neighborhood, said, “Cutting off electricity to the city during Ramadan is completely unacceptable and causes widespread anger among the residents. Generator owners must be held accountable for this behavior.” Umm Omar, from Al-Salihiya neighborhood, called on the relevant authorities to intervene immediately and impose strict laws to prevent this crisis from recurring.

The residents continue to appeal to the responsible authorities to find a quick solution to this problem, in light of the continued power outage in many neighborhoods of the city.