Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Dec 3: The Federation of Chambers of Industries Kashmir (FCIK) has sent a letter to the Chief Secretary urging him to notify the agency for repairs, replacement, and maintenance of the electricity distribution infrastructure in organised industrial estates throughout Kashmir amid confusion.
The top industrial organisation wrote to the CS to express how the internal conflict between KPDCL and SICOP/SIDCO over who would be responsible for maintaining the estate’s distribution transformers and other equipment had caused great inconvenience for the industrial units within organised estates.
According to FCIK, the KPDCL claims that the SICOP and SIDCO are in charge of maintaining and repairing the broken transformers and other equipment inside the organised industrial estates.
“…for the mere reason of managing these estates, both SICOP and SIDCO put the onus of maintenance on KPDCL which generally takes up such repairs of equipment meant for their other consumers including industrial units in the unorganised sector.”
The FCIK claimed that KPDCL was responsible for performing maintenance, repairs, and even replacement of damaged electrical distribution equipment because the JERC (J&K and Ladakh) had approved the tariff for a variety of consumer categories, including industrial units, after allowing components of M&R expenditure.
“…the fixed charges charged by KPDCL from industrial units had only been allowed for installation and maintenance of distribution equipment at the doorsteps of industrial units,” FCIK said, adding KPDCL also received an annual budgetary allocation from the government for M&R which was not approved for industrial corporations.
FCIK has stated that it would not mind whosoever is given the job of maintaining and fixing the electrical system within industrial estates. “It is as such the organisation has sought the intervention of the Chief Secretary to resolve the issue once and for all.”
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