A K Koul
It is good that we have embarked upon smart metering project in a big way across J&K UT with the sole purpose of curbing the theft and T&D losses ( which I call it as theft and dacoity losses) and reduce the load in the system at every level right from transmission, sub-transmission to distribution level and provide quality and interruption-free power to consumers across Jammu and Kashmir besides jack up the revenue bill. But is that purpose really being served? No! at least I can say not in Jammu province at all.
In the last week of July 2023 and also this year in first week of July 2024, I was in Jammu, the humidity was at its peak, the temperature was soaring each day and the electricity as usual continued to play hide and seek in our area inspite of full surrounding areas of Canal Road, Nitco Lane, Rama Lane, Vikas Lane, UNO Lane etc (Talab Tillo) having been provided with smart meters. When enquired from people living in other areas of JMU including posh areas such as Gandhi Nagar, Shastri Nagar Trikua Nagar, Chani Himmat, and Bhatandi same complaint was there.
People question when smart meters are provided and they pay enormous electricity bills why they don’t get continuous power supply and what is this sudden and annoying breakdowns of power supply happening on continuous basis ? They curse the department engineers and the people at helm.. I had, frankly speaking, no answer to their genuine questions.
When I investigated about the cause of it from my friends in PDD , I was told that delivery system right from transmission to sub-transmission to distribution is not ready to take the onslaught of summer loading and as such they resort to distress load shedding from grid stations/receiving stations to save the network and associated equipment from collapse. Therefore, it means that we are back to square one situation and smart metering is not helping. Something else is to be done.
Come summer in Jammu, face the onslaught of electricity interruptions, nuisance and agonising trippings and all that and then PDD engineers are at the receiving end of the consumer’s wrath.
Do we do power system studies i.e load flow studies, dynamic studies. Short circuit studies, harmonic distoration and voltage flicker studies before sanctioning new connection/load to industries? No we do not do?
These studies would demonstrate if re-inforecements in the network are required before connecting the new loads especially industrial loads to PDD network . CEA, Delhi have a dedicated wing to conduct these studies on PSSE simulation model and should be done on case by case basis before sanctioning industrial connections especially for steel industries which have arc furnaces and these furnaces generate total harmonic distortions (THD)and voltage flickers which are beyond safe limits unless harmonic filters they have installed and they travel to the PDD network and slowly heat and damage the transformers of PDD and other allied equipment which are connected to same bus bars .
In nutshell, let me be candid in my statement that the people are not bothered nor they care to know how many CEs, SEs, XENs or AEEs are there in PDD and huge support system there is to run the department, they are only bothered rather worried when to have un-interrupted 24x7x365 quality power supply supplied to their dwellings and establishments. Where is that? Do we provide and live to their expectations? The answer is no, bid no.
Can this aged, and rotten distribution network of Jammu province (upstream backed up with over -streched sub-transmission and transmission system ) which has outlived its life be overhauled in real sense to deliver 24×7×365 power to consumers. We have not done it. We do only patch work here and there? The result is before us. The system requires major ovehaul and continuous upgradation to cater to the increasing load demand in commercial, industrial sector, agriculture sector, housing sector etc across J&K state.
My suggestion is that the department should immediately revamp and upgrade the transmission, sub- transmission and distribution network so that the delivery system right from transmission, sub-transmission to distribution network is refurbished (base on the assumption of load growth of 7 percent per annum annum (which shall, however need fair auditing by an independent agency to arrive at genuine figures). The short term rush through measures such as smart metering, or quick fix /patch work solutions in the Trans. Sub-Trans and Dist. network has not been, will not and is never going to help but shall be simply cosmetic measures and is waste of public money and the consumers will continue to face the agonising power interruptions due to overloading of aged existing network system leading to breakdown/failure of equipment , materials etc. which becomes pre-dominant in summer months across Jammu province primarily due to AC load.
The upgradation of distribution network should be done also on a every 5 year Plan basis, as I said it, should be made as a continuous feature/exercise not that one time exercise as we do and leave it and wait the Trans & Dist. System to burst at its seams and collapse due to continuous increase in load demand of big and small consumers and rotten delivery system not able to cope up with and then we wake up to alarming situation and go for a quick fix short term solutions in the network feeding the affected areas to fix the problem.
This will not help but shall only prove disastrous and meaningless exercise.
As per my feedback from the engineers in the department ,we are reaching to the dangerous situation ,what I described above, very fast and most of grid stations and receiving stations including power evacuating lines across Jammu province are heading fast towards overloads. The power carrying conductors have derated due to overloads and have become black. Come summer, the scheduled and distress cuts in power supply from most of Grid stations, Receiving Stations are being forcebly enforced.
May be I am wrong in my assessment of power scenario of Jammu province yet I am ready to accept contrary replies /suggestions from our engineers who may wish to contest to what I have said above and that that should be based on facts and figures existing on ground as on date.
We have an excellent team of engineers in the department headed by an experienced and dynamic Engineers. Identify and put them on job, they will show the results and set right the system.
(The author is Former Chief Engineer J&KPDD and currently Head and Project Leader Ministry of Electricity and Water Affairs, Kingdom of Bahrain)
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