Jammu, Aug 17 (Newswire): Even as the power sector in the occupied state is grappling under huge financial burden due to the losses incurred over the years, the Power Development department has failed to bring about some discernible reforms in the sector despite receiving whopping Rs 500 crore under Accelerated Power Development Reforms Programme (APDRP),
While the scheme primarily envisages modernization of distribution network to arrest the huge transmission and distribution losses, most of the power supply lines in the state particularly in maximum power consuming urban centers have remained unchanged.
Officials said electricity supplied to most of the city areas is passing through worn-out cables laid three decades ago which have become threat for the people particularly living in congested areas of the city.
Sources said that although nearly 2160 km of power lines have been changed but most of the urban centers have remained untouched thus defeating the objective of T&D losses incurred due to worn out distribution network .
"Stress was more on changing the 33 KV and 11 KV power lines and improving the infrastructure in rural areas but priority areas like urban centers have received less attention under the programme", said an official source.
Even the much talked about laying of Coded cables project in the interior areas of Jammu city has remained on papers due to high cost involved in the project, Greater Kashmir reported.
However, a senior officer said that transmission lines cannot be replaced in one go as it needs huge funds. "We are expecting more funds for taking up the modernisation projects which mainly include replacement of worn-out wires- the main cause for T&D losses .
"Under APDRP many areas were covered but it will take some time before there is total overhaul of the transmission lines and other infrastructure", said an official source.
He said the transmission and Distribution losses in Jammu and Kashmir have reached to alarming 65 percent mark , but till PDD supplies electricity through these old wires, this problem cannot be addressed.
"Power losses are more in the urban areas keeping in view the heavy concentration of population and poor infrastructure and till this is reformed there cannot be any change", said a Divisional Engineer.
Pertinently, in most of the city localities like Nanak Nagar, Gandhinagar, Janipur and old city, electric cables have been laid around three decades back but have received little attention despite increase in the population.
It is pertinent to mention here that power reforms were started in the state in 2004, by previous Congress-PDP government to bring down Accumulated Transmission and Commercial (AT&C) losses to nationally accepted figure of 18 to 20 per cent from a whopping 65 per cent and curb the menace of thefts which had become norm in the recrnt years.
While the scheme primarily envisages modernization of distribution network to arrest the huge transmission and distribution losses, most of the power supply lines in the state particularly in maximum power consuming urban centers have remained unchanged.
Officials said electricity supplied to most of the city areas is passing through worn-out cables laid three decades ago which have become threat for the people particularly living in congested areas of the city.
Sources said that although nearly 2160 km of power lines have been changed but most of the urban centers have remained untouched thus defeating the objective of T&D losses incurred due to worn out distribution network .
"Stress was more on changing the 33 KV and 11 KV power lines and improving the infrastructure in rural areas but priority areas like urban centers have received less attention under the programme", said an official source.
Even the much talked about laying of Coded cables project in the interior areas of Jammu city has remained on papers due to high cost involved in the project, Greater Kashmir reported.
However, a senior officer said that transmission lines cannot be replaced in one go as it needs huge funds. "We are expecting more funds for taking up the modernisation projects which mainly include replacement of worn-out wires- the main cause for T&D losses .
"Under APDRP many areas were covered but it will take some time before there is total overhaul of the transmission lines and other infrastructure", said an official source.
He said the transmission and Distribution losses in Jammu and Kashmir have reached to alarming 65 percent mark , but till PDD supplies electricity through these old wires, this problem cannot be addressed.
"Power losses are more in the urban areas keeping in view the heavy concentration of population and poor infrastructure and till this is reformed there cannot be any change", said a Divisional Engineer.
Pertinently, in most of the city localities like Nanak Nagar, Gandhinagar, Janipur and old city, electric cables have been laid around three decades back but have received little attention despite increase in the population.
It is pertinent to mention here that power reforms were started in the state in 2004, by previous Congress-PDP government to bring down Accumulated Transmission and Commercial (AT&C) losses to nationally accepted figure of 18 to 20 per cent from a whopping 65 per cent and curb the menace of thefts which had become norm in the recrnt years.
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