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| Without infrastructure, J&K achieves 100% electrification! | | | Ishtiyaq Ahmad
Early Times Report
Srinagar, Jan 8: As the government has announced that J&K achieved 100 percent electrification, the state still lacks the required infrastructure for electricity.
On February 3, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi was told that JK has achieved 100 percent electrification. However, there is still the lack of required power infrastructure in the state.
For the last several years, the government has been claiming hundreds of crores of rupees was spent for augmentation of power infrastructure.
Last year, the Centre said that Rs 8,000 crore was released to boost power sector in the state. However, the state is still struggling with required infrastructure resulting Jammu Kashmir often faces power cuts.
As per the government documents, the total number of consumers is 9.65 lakh in Kashmir with a load of 1332.04 MW is provided through 242 receiving stations. However, only 42 percent of consumers have been provided meters.
An official of power development department said that government has failed to upgrade the existing system in grid stations in Jammu and Kashmir.
"The government recently approved Rs 146.12 crore for existing system in various grid stations where in 21 grid stations are being renovated either for upgradation also due to technological growth," the official said.
The official said there are several projects that have not been completed for the last so many years.
One such project was Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY) for rural electrification. The project was around Rs 800 crore
The money, the official said was to be utilised in the villages of Anantnag, Budgam, Bandipora, Baramulla, Ganderbal, and Kupwara districts in the valley.
Tenders for the project, he said, were floated multiple times since October 2016, until the two companies turned up to bag the project.
However, following disclosure about the companies' "poor track record in other states" the project was stalled, the official said.
However there are so many grid stations, where the work is going for the last so many years.
One such project is Alastang grid station, on which work was started eight years before. The project has not been completed, which could have upgraded the power scenario in Kashmir.
The work on Alastang grid station was started in 2010 for transmission of electricity to Ganderbal district.
"The two power grids face overloading resulting in frequent power cuts in Srinagar and Ganderbal districts. Presently, the Ganderbal gets electricity from Zainakote grid station and remains overloaded," the official said.
Similarly, Delina grid stations have to be augmented to cater to north Kashmir. The PDD also has to complete a power grid station the foundation of which was laid ten years ago in Bandipora. The transmission line supposed to feed that grid is incomplete and prevents the supply of reliable power to households in that region.
The official said that existing transformers and power lines are also in bad shape. "There are technical snags in electricity due to poor power infrastructure," the official added.
A senior official admitted that there was lack of required infrastructure for the power supply. "Government is working on it," the official said.
He however said that it was also responsibility of consumers to use electricity judiciously so that people provided uninterrupted power supply. |
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