*Sets Aug 2018 deadline for completion of Alasteng grid station
Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Dec 6: Deputy Chief Minister, Dr Nirmal Singh today called for making concerted efforts to reduce the Transmission and Distribution losses in the electricity sector and continuous innovations in work execution to improve overall power scenario in the Valley.
The Deputy Chief Minister, who is also Minister for Power Development and Housing & Urban Development, said this at a meeting which he chaired here today to review power scenario in Kashmir.
Minister of State for Housing & Urban Development, Asiea Naqash and Minister of State for Power Development, Syed Farooq Ahmad Andrabi were also present on the occasion.
During the meeting, Dr Singh reviewed the present position of power supply and pace of work on various ongoing PDD projects. He stressed on augmentation of power infrastructure and strengthening of the system, which he said is vital to realize the dream of round-the-clock uninterrupted power supply in the State.
He asked the officers to follow the already notified electricity schedule and avoid unscheduled power cuts. He also directed to re-examine all feeders and adding more feeders into the system wherever it is necessary to minimize snapping of high-voltage power lines.
The Deputy Chief Minister said that with the commissioning of Alasteng grid station, power scenario in Srinagar and South Kashmir would improve significantly. He set August 2018 deadline for completion of the grid station. He asked the officers to review the progress of the power station every 15 days to ensure its completion within the stipulated time.
He also called for expediting land acquisition for construction of Budgam grid station so that work on it starts as early as possible.
To ensure speedy repair of electric transformers, the Deputy Chief Minister called for increasing the capacity of the department’s workshops. He said that 200 transformers have been acquired and kept in the buffer stock for prompt replacement of faulty ones. He said steps are afoot to increase the human resource of the department to better cater to rising demands.
Dr. Singh also reviewed progress on various ongoing works under Prime Minister’s Regional Development Plan (PMRDP). He stressed on the officers to expedite work on all the projects so that their time-bound completion is ensured. He said that the department needs to gear up to meet people’s expectations. He said that there is no shortage of funds and called for time-bound completion of the development projects.
Commissioner Secretary, Power, Housing & PDD Hirdesh Kumar, Chief Engineer PDD, VC LAWDA, VC SDA, Commissioner SMC, MD Housing Board, MD JKPDC, SE Drainage and other concerned officers attended the meeting.
Meanwhile, DyCM convened a meeting to review the status of projects in Srinagar city-funded under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) which are being executed by Urban Environmental Engineering Department (UEED).
He was informed that 16 schemes worth Rs 70 crore have been taken up under the AMRUT in the summer capital.
While reviewing progress of the development works, Dr Singh said that the several major towns of the State would also be covered under AMRUT so that they are replete with all the modern facilities of urban living. He asked the executing agency to ensure timely completion of the projects through proper monitoring and supervision at the highest level.
Stressing on close monitoring, he directed Deputy Commissioner Srinagar to conduct regular inspections of construction sites to remove bottlenecks, if any, hampering the pace of progress of the works. He stressed on the need for close coordination among different agencies to ensure that the works are completed in a time-bound manner.
During the meeting, the Deputy Chief Minister took exception of the slow pace of work on the Swach Bharat Abhiyan and asked the officers to pace up the work under the scheme. He also asked for the status of the drainage projects to be taken under Jehlum Tawi Flood Recovery Project (JTFRP).
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