JK govt actively pursuing transfer of power projects: Dy CM

Asserting that the flagship schemes have been launched to achieve round-the-clock power supply for all by 2019, the Jammu and Kashmir government today said it was actively pursuing with the Centre the transfer of power projects to the state.
"The government is actively pursuing the transfer of power projects as it is an important part of the developmental agenda of the present coalition government," state Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal singh said.
Replying to separate written questions of legislators, M Y Tarigami, Vikar Rasool and Krishan Lal in the Legislative Assembly, the minister said the revised PMRRP envisages achieving 24x7 power for all by 2019 and ensuring physical autonomy of J&K for a new era of development.

"Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu in his power budget in the year 2015-16, has clearly mentioned that the government would actively pursue transfer of hydropower projects from NHPC and that year's budget provided funds for meeting the operational and maintenance cost of such power projects to be transferred,"he said.
In March 2016, Singh said, he along with the state finance minister met Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal formally and impressed upon the Centre the need for transfer of power projects of Dulhasti and Uri from NHPC to the state among other important issues of the power sector.
"Subsequently, this has been raised in various power ministers' conferences by me," he said.

Singh said presently, there is no agreement or MoU available with the state government on the terms and conditions under which Dul Hasti power Project was executed by NHPC.

He said in the year 2011, a Cabinet sub-committee was constituted to look into it and the committee could not find any agreement or MoU.
In this regard, the committee recommended constituting a task force of senior officers of the state to look into the circumstances leading to the misplacement of these records.
Accordingly, he said a task force under the chairmanship of administrative secretary general administration department (GAD) with three additional secretaries from Power Development Department, GAD and Governor's secretariat was formed.

As recorded by the task force, the relevant records were found missing from all the concerned offices, he said adding the task force concluded that the Cabinet decision was un- traceable and that there was not any possibility of its retrieval as the records were around four decades old and no handing over or taking over of records had taken place.
Listing the reasons forcing power cuts in peak winters and summer seasons in Kashmir and Jammu, respectively, the deputy chief minister said against registered 3,101 MW load, the demand should not exceed 1,551 MW, but it is around 2,950 MW (un-restricted) that reflecting that there existshuge unregistered load.

He said the use of unauthorised load creates system constraints by way of overloading the system at transmission, sub-transmissionand at distribution levels, thereby causing further distress cuts in addition to the scheduled cuts.
He said because JKPDD has sufficient capacity available at all transmission levels, viz-a-vis total load registered, it makes sufficient power available for its consumers as per their contract demand.
He said various centrally sponsored schemes have been launched to meet the future load growth and to improve the power supply qualitatively and quantitatively.
Listing flagship schemes launched to overcome chronic problems at various levels, Singh said Re-structured Accelerated Developmental Programme (R-APDRP) has been sanctioned at a cost of Rs 151.99 crore under part-A and Rs 1,665.27 crore under part-B.

It is aimed at strengthening, upgrading and renovating sub-transmission and distribution network, adoption of IT application for meter reader, billing and energy accounting, in 30 identified towns of the state, including 17 of Kashmir division, 11 of Jammu division and 2 of Ladakh region.
Responding to another part of the question, he said energy mapping and energy auditing is subservient to 100 percent metering at all voltage levels.
"To achieve 100 percent metering at Sub-Transmission level and Distribution level the department has put in its efforts," he said.
He said with meagre resources, Jammu and Kashmir Power Development Department has been able to bring down the T&D losses from 61.58 per cent in 2011-12 to 52.87 per cent in 2016-17.

He said that with the launch of various centrally sponsored flagship schemes which are primarily reform centric, it is projected that the present high T&D losses shall be appreciably reduced post execution of these schemes.