Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, May 28: Though the State Government is blaming the people for the prevailing power crisis during the scorching heat, the fact is that Power Development Department is itself responsible for overloading of its feeders, transformers and stations as it has failed to utilize whopping Rs 550 crore assistance provided by the Union Power Ministry under the Restructured Accelerated Power Development and Reforms Programme for renovation, modernization and strengthening of its infrastructure during the past one year.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that under the Restructured Accelerated Power Development and Reforms Programme (R-APDRP), the Union Power Ministry last year released grant of Rs 550 crore to Jammu and Kashmir for reducing the Aggregate Technical and Commercial (AT&C) losses, which continue to be at highest level.
Like other special category States in the country, 30 towns and cities of Jammu and Kashmir including twin capital cities of Jammu and Srinagar having population of 10,000 and more were brought under the purview of the project.
Under Part-A of the scheme, the State Government was required to prepare base-line data covering consumer indexing, GIS mapping, metering of distribution transformers and feeders and automatic data logging for all distribution transformers and feeders, adoption of IT applications for meter reading, billing and collection, energy accounting and auditing, redressal of consumer grievances and establishment of IT enabled consumer service centers etc.
Similarly, under Part-B of the scheme renovation, modernization and strengthening of 11 KV level sub-stations, transformers/transformer centers, re-conducting of lines at 11 KV level and below, load bifurcation, feeder separation, load balancing, installation of Aerial Bunched Conductoring in dense areas and strengthening of 33 KV or 66 KV levels in the areas where the sub-transmission system is weak.
“Soon after the release of Rs 550 crore assistance by the Union Power Ministry, the then Chief Secretary, Madhav Lal convened a high-level meeting and it was felt that Project Management Consultant was required to be engaged before going ahead with the works mentioned in the Part-B of the scheme. However, as far as components of Part-A were concerned Wipro company was engaged”, sources said.
Though tenders were floated twice for engagement of Project Management Consultant yet there was not much response as a result of which the much needed works could not be started, sources said, adding “the non-utilization of amount for the Part-B components was taken seriously by the Joint Secretary in the Union Power Ministry and he observed that engagement of Project Management Consultant was not required at all”.
In response to a question, sources said, “even at present no decision has been taken on the engagement of Project Management Consultant although four bids were received in response to latest tenders floated by the Power Development Department”, adding “though financial assistance provided under R-APDRP scheme is non-lapsable, further delay in utilization of the same for reducing the Aggregate Technical and Commercial losses would compel the Union Power Ministry to convert the grant of Rs 550 crore into loan and the same would put financial burden on the State exchequer on account of payment of interest on loan amount”.
“In view of these facts how could the Power Development Department hold the people responsible for prevailing power crisis by stating that they (people) have been overloading the transformers, feeders and other infrastructure and prompting the department to resort to forced shut-downs in order to avoid damage to the infrastructure”, sources asked, adding “actually the Government is itself responsible for the crisis and is answerable to the people for its failure to utilize the available whopping Rs 550 crore for system improvement and upgradation”.
“Had the amount been timely utilized the situation would have been much better in comparison to the prevailing one”, sources said, adding “due to the slackness of the Government 30 towns having 10,000 or more population are being put to inconvenience”.
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