Land identified in Samba, Kathua found non-feasible
*MNRE gives in-principle approval to make Jammu solar city
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Apr 2: Due to dilly-dallying approach and lack of coordination, the announcement made in the J&K Budget for the financial year 2021-22 regarding establishment of solar plants has remained unimplemented till date even after the identification of suitable land. Moreover, the land patches proposed for such plants in Samba and Kathua districts have been found non-feasible as such no headway could be made on tapping solar energy on a large scale.
In the J&K Budget for the financial year, which has ended on March 31, it was mentioned that all out efforts will be made to tap the solar energy potential in order to lower the carbon foot-print and reduce dependence on hydro power.
It was specifically mentioned that solar plants will be set up across the Union Territory to promote the use of renewable energy and land stands identified in Pampore, Kalakote and Kawa to begin with. However, till date the announcement has not become reality because of the dilly-dallying approach on the part of the concerned authorities, official sources told EXCELSIOR.
Stating that Power Development Department had to take steps for giving practical shape to the budget announcement, sources said, “while spade work has been done in respect of site at Pampore, not even basic exercise has been carried out as far as Kalakote and Kawa sites are concerned”, adding “the slackness in establishment of solar plants at these identified places is notwithstanding the fact that Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy is more than keen to extend all possible assistance to tap the solar potential”.
Even some land patches were identified in Samba and Kathua districts for establishment of solar plants but the same were found non-feasible at the later stage and this clearly established that all the aspects were not kept in mind while conducting survey of the land, sources said while disclosing that at one place extensive cutting of trees is involved as such Forest Department has opposed the proposal while as the second place is having hilly tracts.
“With such a casual approach how the solar plants can be established in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir remains a million dollar question”, sources said, adding “since the Power Development Department is mainly focusing on tapping hydro power, the task of establishing solar plants should have been vested to the Jammu and Kashmir Energy Development Agency (JAKEDA) right from the very beginning keeping in view its unchanged mandate”.
As the land identification for solar plants is a lengthy exercise, the Government has directed JAKEDA to pay full attention towards roof-top solar power plants, sources said while disclosing that exercise to install grid-tied rooftop solar power plants on Government buildings within Jammu city’s municipal limits has already been started by JAKEDA.
Around 200 Government buildings have been identified and 32 among them have already been provided with rooftop solar power plants. “The JAKEDA is planning to complete the exercise in respect of remaining buildings within next three-four months and the entire cost to be incurred on the project will be recovered at the rate of 22 percent annually on account of savings from reduced dependency on externally purchased power. These installed rooftop solar power plants will also be connected with the main power grid on a net metering basis”, sources informed.
Disclosing that Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has given in-principle approval to make Jammu a solar city, sources said that provision has been kept in the budget for the current financial year to install rooftop solar plants in domestic sector by motivating the people. At present, there is a plan to install such plants on around 50,000 households within the municipal limits of Jammu Municipal Corporation.
Further, JAKEDA is shortly going to float tenders for 2 MW up to 10 MW in small hydro-projects as per the decision of the Administrative Council taken last year which is aimed at providing indirect employment/entrepreneurial opportunities.
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