Early Times Report
Bari Brahmana, May 18: An urgent meeting of the Bari Brahmana Industries Association (BBIA) was held today under the presidency of Sh. Lalit Mahajan. The meeting was attended by Sh. Tarun Singla, Senior Vice President; Sh. Ajay Langer, Vice President; Sh. Viraaj Malhotra, General Secretary; Sh. Rajesh Jain, Secretary; Sh. Vivek Singhal, Treasurer; and other members to discuss the critical issue of unscheduled power cuts affecting the industrial units of Bari Brahmana.
During the meeting, members raised serious concerns over the prolonged and frequent unscheduled power cuts from the BBI Grid Station. These power disruptions have led to significant financial losses for the industrial units in the Bari Brahmana Industrial Hub, despite the department collecting approximately Rs. 175 crores in annual revenues from the complex.
The power supply from the BBI Grid Station has been frequently switched off without prior intimation. When contacted, officials cited faults in the 220KV/132KV Hira Nagar-Bishnah-Miransahib-Bari Brahmana line as the cause. Despite this, there is a provision to shift the power supply from the Gladni Grid Station during prolonged delays in restoration. Additionally, officials reported that distribution transformers at the grid station are overheating, causing frequent tripping and power disruptions. This is particularly concerning as the department has previously spent crores on grid station upgrades, yet preventive measures for high summer temperatures, which may reach 46 degrees next week, seem insufficient. JPDCL’s commitment to supplying uninterrupted power to industrial units in Jammu & Kashmir appears unfulfilled, as evidenced by the frequent power cuts from the BBI Grid Station. This lack of coordination among departments responsible for power supply is causing severe operational and financial impacts on industries, particularly those involved in manufacturing steel, plastic, and related products. The units are forced to incur additional costs by purchasing diesel to run generators during power outages.
The BBIA urgently requests Hon’ble Lt. Governor Sh. Manoj Sinha, Sh. H. Rajesh Prasad (IAS), Principal Secretary of the Power Development Department, and Mr. Vikas Kundal, IAS, Managing Director of Jammu Power Development Corporation Ltd., to intervene. They are urged to direct the concerned Chief Engineers of the Grid and System & Operation Wings of Jammu to ensure a 24-hour power supply to the industrial units of Bari Brahmana, eliminating unscheduled power cuts. |
