Ladakh plans grid power supply for Army, ITBP posts in Ladakh's DBO sector

The Ladakh administration is contemplating the electrification of border posts in the Daulat Beg Oldie sector through grid connectivity in the Union Territory, officials said.

Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO), located along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China, houses military outposts and the highest airstrip in the Ladakh region, manned by the Army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).

The Ladakh Power Development Department (LPDD) has presented proposals for the electrification of Army and ITBP border posts in the DBO sector through grid connectivity, officials said.

This was revealed during a high-level meeting chaired by Prince Dhawan, Executive Director, Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme, to review power sector initiatives in the Union Territory of Ladakh.

Dhawan appreciated the initiative, emphasising the strategic importance of providing a reliable and sustainable power supply to remote border areas, and directed concerned officials to expedite necessary approvals and coordination with relevant agencies for early implementation.

He also reviewed progress of the Border area package for Nubra and Changthang executed by the turnkey contractor GEPDEC.

He examined the status of the upstream network, the upcoming 220 kV transmission system of Nubra, and ongoing smart metering works across the Union Territory.

Dhawan took a detailed assessment of the Unified Billing System (UBS) and smart metering implementation for the remaining consumers under the Special Development Package (SDP).

He also reviewed the status of UBS implementation across the UT and the proposals submitted by LPDD for the installation of smart metres for the remaining 18,279 consumers yet to be covered under the scheme, pending approval.