Once again Power Development Department comes in for public censure. It has become notorious for inefficiency and ineptitude. Among all services against which there is large-scale public resentment and anger, it is the PDD. We are almost fed up with a long list of excuses, which the department in question presents when its inefficiency and failure to meet the need of the consumers are brought to light. Power production and distribution system is one service on which the Chief Minister has been laying great stress. Yet day in and day out, instances of its irresponsibility and inexcusable negligence become the talk of the town. It lacks vision and timely action; it lacks sense of responsibility and the worst is that it makes fun of accountability. If there were accountability in letter and in spirit, the rot would have been stemmed long back.
This time we are not talking about the issue of corruption or bribery in PDD; we are talking about lack of vision and sense of responsibility of those who are at the helm of planning and execution of projects in the Department. For power supply, entire Jammu region depends on power supplied from Salal-Gladni line. In case of a mishap, which cannot be ruled out in view of past experience, entire Jammu region will plunge into darkness. In order to provide a safety valve to this situation, a multi-crore 400 KV Sub-Station was proposed at Samba. This project was entrusted to Power Grid Corporation of India, Limited (PGCIL) which brought it to completion two months ago and then formally told PDD that it should now begun the work of power evacuation and make the Sub-Station functional.
Power evacuation is a technical work for which the Power Development Department of the State Government had the responsibility of laying 220 KV transmission lines for loop-in and loop-out with existing Gladni-Hiranagar and Bishnah-Hiranagar lines. This ought to have been undertaken side by side along with the work begun on the Sub-Station two years ago. But the functionaries responsible to do that kept on sleeping all the time and now that the Sub-Station is ready to deliver, it is making the excuse that the transmission lines are not in place. Who will buy this excuse and why? PDD is in full knowledge that the PGCIL had been working at the new grid station in Samba for last two years. It also knew that with the new Sub-Station not only the power reliability but also the existing system will get strengthened, which is the thrust area of the Union Power Ministry. And yet it chose to sleep over the matter. Here comes in the question of fixing the responsibility. The Chief Minister would be more than justified to take proper action for this glaring act of inefficiency and irresponsibility by the concerned in the PDD.
Hard pressed by circumstances, PDD approached PGCIL to advise it on the project of laying the 220KV lines and the cost estimates for the same. After making a survey, the PGCIL presented an estimate of 18.50 crore rupees. More than two months have gone by and the PDD has not been able to conclude an agreement with the PGCIL so that work would have started on laying the desired transmission lines. Sources have not been able to find out what is amiss in PDD signing the contract and initiating the laying of lines. Obviously, one can surmise that there could be either financial constraints with the PDD or there are vested interests. In either case it becomes the responsibility of the Power Ministry to resolve the deadlock. Was not the expenditure estimate on laying 220 KV transmission line taken into account when the project was initialized? How come the question of financial constraints comes up now? The PDD has to explain. Secondly, if the question of funds is not the real cause of delay in allocating the work to PGCIL, then it is a matter, which may give rise to many doubts. The Samba Sub-Station is of vital importance to the entire Jammu region and that is why enormous amount has been invested in it. We would, therefore, plead with the Chief Minister to intervene in the matter and expedite the laying of 220 KV lines and ensure functionality of the Samba Sub-Station. We understand that this could also be the state of affairs with Wanpooh Sub-Station sanctioned for the valley. The twin projects are thrown into indeterminate state. They need to be retrieved without loss of time.
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