*2 grids too lying unused despite huge investment
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Mar 16: In a glaring example of Government’s callous approach in otherwise priority sector, the fate of vital power transmission line aimed at providing reliable power connectivity to twin mountainous districts of Doda and Kishtwar is hanging in balance despite expenditure of Rs 35 crore. Moreover, two grid stations established for linking with this transmission line are also lying unused during the past quite long time thereby rendering the entire expenditure as unfruitful.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that 132 KV double circuit transmission line between Ramban-Khillani-Kishtwar was taken up under Prime Minister’s Reconstruction Plan (PMRP) and awarded to KEC International in the year 2007 for completion by June 2009.
The Union Ministry fulfilled its commitment by providing Rs 35.25 crore for the entire scope of work, which included design, survey, supply, construction, erection, testing and commissioning. Moreover, this amount included all central taxes and duties, toll tax, work contract tax and insurance charges. At that time, the Union Government had made it clear in the Letter of Agreement that nothing extra would be paid for the project.
For this 82 kilometers long transmission line of vital importance for twin mountainous districts of Doda and Kishtwar, 232 towers had to be erected by the project executing agency under the close supervision of concerned authorities of Transmission Line Maintenance Division (TLMD) of Power Development Department of J&K.
“Though entire project cost of Rs 35 crore has been expended yet the fate of the transmission line is still hanging in balance because of uncalled for cost escalation, which is being attributed to the change in alignment at the later stage prompted by landslides and sinking of land in Assar area of Doda district”, sources said.
Accordingly, the additional cost of the project was worked at Rs 14 crore and the same was projected before the concerned authorities of Union Government for funding under PMRP but this demand was turned down by the Centre. The Union Government conveyed to the State that landslides and other related hurdles should have been anticipated during the survey of the line and alignment should have been fixed by keeping all these aspects in the mind, sources added.
Disclosing that during the past two years no progress could be made in the line, sources said that instead of allowing the project to hang in balance, the focus should have been laid on arrangement of additional Rs 14 crore from the State resources keeping in view the importance of the line. “In the absence of arrangement of additional cost the entire expenditure of Rs 35 crore has turned unfruitful and is mocking at those, who always flagged power as priority sector”, sources regretted.
The arrangement of additional Rs 14 crore was further imperative in view of the fact that two grid stations were established-one each at Bhalessa and Kishtwar for linking with this line and these grid stations could not be put to use due to non-completion of transmission line. In this way, the expenditure on these grid stations has also become unproductive.
According to the sources, the Monitoring Cell in the Chief Minister’s Office had also inspected this project few years back and pointed out explicable and inordinate delay in construction of foundations of towers, erection of towers, stringing of lines, delay in settlement of land issues and poor quality of work etc as the main reasons for delay in the completion of the project.
The Monitoring Cell had found no justification behind increase in cost of the project on the pretext of change in alignments owing to landslides and sinking of land in Assar area. “But the observations of the Monitoring Cell could not awake the concerned authorities from deep slumber for putting pressure on the company to execute the project or making arrangement for additional cost from internal resources”, sources regretted.
Pilfering the time of the Government is as bad as stealing the money of the Government and keeping this in mind the present dispensation should make arrangement for additional funds or put pressure on the company for completion of project as per its original cost, sources said. Otherwise allowing crores of rupees as unfruitful expenditure amounts to criminal negligence as non-completion of the project has deprived huge population of twin districts of reliable power supply, sources said.
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