Jammu and Kashmir Power Development Department (PDD) is a text book case of gross mismanagement
PDD Losing Rs 1800 cr Revenue Every Year
ET Report
Jammu: The State of J&K is losing Rs 1800 crore as revenue due to mismanagement in Power Development Department (PDD) every year and despite the fact that the Government is full aware about this huge loss it has failed to frame any comprehensive policy to arrest the same.
According to sources out of this Rs 1800 crore loss which the PDD suffers every year, 15 percent is the transmission loss while the rest is due to corrupt practices prevailing in the Department.
The sources said out of these Rs 1800 crore loss, over 200 crore is on account of over six lakh illegal connections in the State which the PDD has failed to regularize till date. The reset loss incurred upon the Department is due to the nexus between the big industrialists, members of business community and the Departmental officials, sources added.
This growing nexus and mismanagement of the PDD has led to worst ever power crisis which the Jammu region is facing at present, sources said, adding had the Department been in a position to arrest the loss it would have improved its revenue position and purchased more electricity from Northern Grid to meet its domestic needs.
However, the bureaucratic lobby and engineers always advised the Government otherwise providing everyone a chance to loot the Department in his own way at the cost of public exchequer, sources said.
Sources said that the power crisis have so deepened in Jammu this summer that the people in metered areas are also facing 12 to 14 hours power cut and even in Summer Capital of Srinagar the consumers in metered areas are constantly facing long duration power cuts though the Government has in principle agreed that the metered areas will be given round the clock power supply.
The power theft is also a continuous process in metered areas as well and the people in various such localities have also taken double connections one is metered and another unregistered. Either the hooks are laid in the evening to avoid the surplus load on meter and misuse the electricity. This all is done in connivance with the PDD authorities, sources added.
Sources said one of the main drawbacks with PDD is that it has no permanent Minister to frame a proper policy for the Department to put it back on rails and create proper avenues of revenue generation and making it responsive to people's problems.
Sources said no proper attention has been paid on increasing the power generation in the State and despite the fact that J&K having enough natural resources of power generation, the State is facing acute power crisis. The problem takes critical turn in Summer in Jammu region and during Winter in Kashmir Valley and people in both the regions have to face power curtailments for long durations, sources added.
Sources said there is no head way on the construction for upgradation of Ganderbal Hydel Project from Five megawatt to 100 Megawatt though the work on the project has been started over 10 years back. The work was abandoned after the land acquisition and construction of some quarters due to shortage of funds, sources added.
Sources said that the Upper Sindh Hydel Project Stage IInd which was constructed and commissioned over a decade back is not generating full 105 mw of power for which it was designed as one unit of the project is idle for last over three years after it was damaged. Though knowing fully the State is running shortage of power no headway has been made to restore this unit, sources added.
Ridiculing the Department claims to recover water charges from NHPC as claimed by PHE Minister Taj Mohi-ud-Din the sources said this all is an eyewash and instead of recovering water charges from already constructed projects by NHPC the PDC is going to allot more projects to the organization.
PDD Losing Rs 1800 cr Revenue Every Year
ET Report
Jammu: The State of J&K is losing Rs 1800 crore as revenue due to mismanagement in Power Development Department (PDD) every year and despite the fact that the Government is full aware about this huge loss it has failed to frame any comprehensive policy to arrest the same.
According to sources out of this Rs 1800 crore loss which the PDD suffers every year, 15 percent is the transmission loss while the rest is due to corrupt practices prevailing in the Department.
The sources said out of these Rs 1800 crore loss, over 200 crore is on account of over six lakh illegal connections in the State which the PDD has failed to regularize till date. The reset loss incurred upon the Department is due to the nexus between the big industrialists, members of business community and the Departmental officials, sources added.
This growing nexus and mismanagement of the PDD has led to worst ever power crisis which the Jammu region is facing at present, sources said, adding had the Department been in a position to arrest the loss it would have improved its revenue position and purchased more electricity from Northern Grid to meet its domestic needs.
However, the bureaucratic lobby and engineers always advised the Government otherwise providing everyone a chance to loot the Department in his own way at the cost of public exchequer, sources said.
Sources said that the power crisis have so deepened in Jammu this summer that the people in metered areas are also facing 12 to 14 hours power cut and even in Summer Capital of Srinagar the consumers in metered areas are constantly facing long duration power cuts though the Government has in principle agreed that the metered areas will be given round the clock power supply.
The power theft is also a continuous process in metered areas as well and the people in various such localities have also taken double connections one is metered and another unregistered. Either the hooks are laid in the evening to avoid the surplus load on meter and misuse the electricity. This all is done in connivance with the PDD authorities, sources added.
Sources said one of the main drawbacks with PDD is that it has no permanent Minister to frame a proper policy for the Department to put it back on rails and create proper avenues of revenue generation and making it responsive to people's problems.
Sources said no proper attention has been paid on increasing the power generation in the State and despite the fact that J&K having enough natural resources of power generation, the State is facing acute power crisis. The problem takes critical turn in Summer in Jammu region and during Winter in Kashmir Valley and people in both the regions have to face power curtailments for long durations, sources added.
Sources said there is no head way on the construction for upgradation of Ganderbal Hydel Project from Five megawatt to 100 Megawatt though the work on the project has been started over 10 years back. The work was abandoned after the land acquisition and construction of some quarters due to shortage of funds, sources added.
Sources said that the Upper Sindh Hydel Project Stage IInd which was constructed and commissioned over a decade back is not generating full 105 mw of power for which it was designed as one unit of the project is idle for last over three years after it was damaged. Though knowing fully the State is running shortage of power no headway has been made to restore this unit, sources added.
Ridiculing the Department claims to recover water charges from NHPC as claimed by PHE Minister Taj Mohi-ud-Din the sources said this all is an eyewash and instead of recovering water charges from already constructed projects by NHPC the PDC is going to allot more projects to the organization.
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