Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Mar 17: The construction work of a power receiving station at Shamsipora village of Anantnag district in South Kashmir is lingering on for last five years as the paucity of funds has stalled the project and increased the power woes of nearly eight villages that were supposed to be benefitted from the station.
The locals said to tackle the power crisis Government allotted a 6.50 megawatt power receiving station to their area but the dilly-dally tactics of the Power Development Department has cast a shadow over the whole initiative. “Since our electricity transmission line comes from a long distance and through trees, it is always vulnerable to technical faults”, they added.
The frequent faults in the transmission line cripple the power supply in the entire area. “In order to tackle the problem we requested the then Government to establish a nearby receiving station and after repeated pleas Government finally allotted one in our area but despite the passage of five years the construction work has not picked up,” Sajad Ahmad Wani, a local from Shamsipora, said.
The locals said they have visited the concerned departments multiple times but have failed to know the status of the construction work. “Sometimes they say the department will construct the building itself and at other times they say they will give it to private contractors. Apart from the construction of a two-room apartment they have not been able to do anything,” they added.
The locals also alleged that the PDD is giving a deaf ear to their grievances and are deliberately keeping them in dark. “The villages which are supposed to get benefits from the receiving station come under Anantnag district jurisdiction but our electricity come from Kulgam district. We are trapped in uncertainty. At Kulgam, the officials divert us to Anantnag and vice versa. We don’t know where to go?” the locals said.
MLA Homshalibugh, Abdul Majeed Larmi, when contacted, said the dearth of funds delayed the project but the construction work has picked up last week and funds worth Rs 10-25 lakhs have been sanctioned for the project. He further said that during the last Board Meeting that was held in Anantnag the Board members discussed different problems confronting the project.
“We felt that the project is very important and should be immediately taken and accordingly the construction work was started,” he said.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
