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| Headless Power Ministry forces endless suffering | | | early times report
Jammu, June 20: The seriousness of the State government in handling severe power crisis being faced by the people of Jammu can by analysed by the fact that it doesn't have power minister to look after the affairs of the department.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is heading the department since 2008. In addition to holding education and R&B ministries, by divesting Congress ministers of their respective portfolios, Omar Abdullah is holding 10 ministries.
In the absence of the permanent and separate power minister, department is made to run on auto-pilot mode, at the whims and fancies of bureaucrats.
It has resulted in policy paralysis as no major decisions have been taken to streamline the system.
The State is one of the worst performers in revenue collection, while it continues to pay heavily for power purchase.
The revenue collection system could have been streamlined had the government been seriousness in implement Re-structured Accelerated Power Development and Reform Program (R-APDRP), Rs 50,000 crores project of the Centre.
The project requires effective metering to stop power pilferage and also to
curtail a Aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses, also termed as T&D losses. The T&D losses are about 66 percent, which one of the highest rate in the country.
Omar Abdullah had himself stated regularly that it needs to cut down and had even warned that erring engineers who have to bring it down will be taken to task.
But in the absence of definite minister, and CM himself bogged down by other ministries, no action has been taken on either account. As of now not a single engineer has been taken to task and it had send the signal in the department that such warnings are only for public consumption devoid of seriousness.
The R-ADDRP projects also entailed laying of new cables and transformers, evaluation the load and make consumer and engineers accountable. According to power department officials, the state government has been able to achieve only 10 percent target under the programme, reflecting the seriousness of the government.
It becomes even more strange when CM had himself stated, which now appears rhetoric, that power can be economic changer for the State and had blamed NHPC for not giving back power projects.
But the fact remains that Omar has failed to deliver at the front which can change the power situation and bring relief to consumers and remains more interested in giving sermons and high table lecturers rather than appointment of full fledged effective minister to bring about the much needed change. |
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