Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, May 20: As Jammu sizzles with mercury soaring around 43 degree Celsius resulting into more consumption of power and overloading on the feeders, the Power Development Department has resorted to load shedding thus adding miseries to woes of people in this region.
Contrary to repeated claims of the PDD, even the metered areas of Jammu are being subjected to load shedding while fluctuation of voltage in several localities has increased unprecedented rendering electric cooling appliances virtual defunct.
The situation is likely to continue for the remaining months of this summer as PDD has no option other than the load shedding for avoiding collapse of the system due to overloading.
“To avoid repeat of the last year fiasco when Northern Grid had collapsed due to over drawal of electricity, we are left with no option other than to resort to power curtailment besides adopting other preventive measures,” a senior officer of PDD EM&RE told the Excelsior on the condition of anonymity.
Also for avoiding damage to the transformers due to overloading on the individuals feeders and system constrains, even metered areas are also being subjected to forced load shedding though there is no scheduled curtailment for such areas, he admitted.
Pertinent to mention that the PDD is resorting to more than eight hours power curtailment in unmetered areas while the metered areas have been subjected to ‘forced load shedding’ or unscheduled power cuts for hours.
Unprecedented delay in repair of damaged transformers is another major grievance of people, particularly in rural areas, who are forced to remain without electricity for days and even weeks together despite a clear Government instruction to either repair the fault or replace the damaged transformer within 24 hours.
The problem of delay is faced with the U-shaped transformers, which were installed under Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY), the sources admitted and explained that core filling of these transformers at local level was very difficult due to manufacturing reasons.
Around 2600 transformers had got damaged due to overloading during the last summer notwithstanding load shedding and other preventive measures of the PDD against the same.
The situation is feared to be the same this summer and continue further as there is a gap of 150 to 200 Mega Watt between restricted demand and supply in the State where more than forty five percent connections are yet to be metered.
For revamping the system in metered areas of Urban Jammu, sources informed, an ambitious project of Rs 640 crores has been sanctioned and work on the same is all set to be started in next two-three months.
Under this Restructured Accelerated Power Development Reform Programme (RAPDRP), distribution system is being revamped with installations of individual transformers, replacement of bare conductors with aerial bunched cables (insulated cables) and computerization of billings etc.
The process for tendering of the three-year project is on while work on consumer indexing and abstract mapping is near completion, sources disclosed.
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