Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, June 27: Unbelievable it may sound but it is a fact that the separate announcements about one project made by two Prime Ministers of the country during their high-profile visits to Jammu and Kashmir have failed to see the light of the day during the past 10 years as the agency which was to execute the project has yet not received the formal approval.
The announcements of two Prime Ministers pertain to the much talked about and much needed Srinagar-Leh power transmission line.
The first announcement about this ambitious project was made by the then Prime Minister of India, Atal Behari Vajpayee in August 2003 during his three day visit to Jammu and Kashmir. The Srinagar-Leh Transmission Line was part of economic package announced by Vajpayee for the State and at that time the cost of 375-kilometer long transmission line was projected at Rs 300 crore.
Soon after Vajpayee’s announcement, Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) which has expertise in laying transmission lines particularly in heavy snow zones started survey for the project and within shortest possible time came up with the detailed note indicating each and every aspect of the transmission line.
Thereafter, no progress could be made vis-à-vis starting work on the project and the file continued to gather dust in the official records due to change of the guard at the Centre, which resulted into change in the priorities of the Central Government.
After seven years, the project again attracted the attention of the Union Government albeit due to intense pressure from the State Government and the leadership of Ladakh region, which was going to be major beneficiary of the transmission line.
In the month of July 2010, present Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh made announcement about the start of the work on the project during his two-day high-profile visit to Jammu and Kashmir. At that time an amount of Rs 100 crore was announced for immediate start of work on the project.
But much to the surprise of people of Ladakh region, even this announcement failed to see light of the day and no significant progress could be made vis-à-vis lying of transmission line between Srinagar and Leh. Perturbed over the hanging fate of the project, Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah in the month of July 2012 vociferously took up the issue with the visiting Chairman-cum-Managing Director of the Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) and stressed on speeding up of all the requisite formalities in order to kick start work on the project, which was mooted to overcome power crisis in the Ladakh region, which remains cut off from the rest of the world for more than six months due to heavy snow.
Not only two Prime Ministers of the country, even the Union Finance Minister, P Chidambaram in the month of February this year announced construction of power transmission link between Srinagar and Leh at an investment of Rs 1840 crore to improve power supply in Leh-Kargil region and connect it to the Northern Grid. He even proposed to provide Rs 226 crore in 2013-14 for the project.
“Since then no further progress has been made and central transmission utility, Power Grid Corporation of India Limited is awaiting formal approval for going ahead with the project”, highly placed sources told EXCELSIOR, adding “though in anticipation of approval PGCIL floated tenders yet it had to cancel the same for want of formal orders”.
As per the survey conducted by the central transmission utility way back in 2003, the 220 KV single circuit Srinagar-Leh Transmission Line will have four Sub-Stations at Drass, Kargil, Khaltsi and Leh while as its towers would be specially designed keeping in view the heavy snow zones from where it will have to pass.
The line is proposed to be single circuit in view of limited power generation scope in the Ladakh region.
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