Srinagar, (Asian independent) J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has assured the people of Jammu division that a committee will be constituted by the Chief Secretary to enquire into the recent unscheduled power outage in various areas, officials said on Wednesday.
During a high-level meeting, Sinha said much before the onset of summer, several meetings were held to prevent erratic electricity supply in Jammu division for May-June when the mercury soars high.
“Unscheduled power cuts that Jammu faced was not normal. That’s why I have asked Chief Secretary Arun Kumar Mehta to constitute a committee to enquire into the matter. Those found responsible should be given the highest punishment as permissible under the law. I want to assure the people that your sweat will not go in vain and officers responsible for your suffering will be punished soon,” the Lt Governor said.
The Lt Governor said despite losses to the tune of Rs 3,500 crore incurred every year on electricity, the Union Territory is working round-the-clock to strengthen transmission, distribution network, and power generation capacity in the UT.
The results were visible on the ground during winter when people in the Kashmir valley for the first time had uninterrupted power supply even during the snow, he added.
“J&K has been bestowed with enormous hydro resources. However, out of total identified power potential of 14,867 MW, only 3504.90 MW could be harnessed since the past 70 years. In the last 11 months, we have finalised a project that will generate 3500 MW within next four years. Transmission network upgradation works have been taken up, not just to evacuate power from the upcoming power projects, but also to provide robustness to the existing system spread across the UT as also to plan for future power requirements with the ultimate goal of 24×7 Power for All,” the Lt Governor said.
Sinha also said that adequate key logistics in terms of transformers, poles and conductors have been stocked in remote areas in addition to divisional stores so as to ensure swift restoration in case of damage to electrical infrastructure due to weather vagaries.