*Decisions on coal block, several HEPs pending since June 2014
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Feb 24: In order to give necessary impetus to several power projects, which had been planned to harness hydroelectric potential of the State, the reconstituted Board of Directors of Jammu and Kashmir State Power Development Corporation Limited headed by Governor, N N Vohra, will clear long pending issues in its meeting to be held shortly.
The Board of Directors of Jammu and Kashmir State Power Development Corporation had last met on June 11, 2014 and at that time the discussion largely remained confined to the commissioning of the Stage-II of Baglihar Hydroelectric Project on river Chenab.
Thereafter, no meeting of Board of Directors was convened by the then dispensation till the announcement of Assembly elections. Even after formulation of new Government in the month of March last year, no focus was laid on reconstitution of the Board of Directors of the Corporation despite the fact that this is the only platform which takes major decisions vis-à-vis power projects.
What to talk of reconstituting the Board of Directors, the PDP-BJP dispensation even paid no attention towards appointment of full-time Managing Director of the Power Development Corpora-tion and post continued to be manned on additional charge arrangement. Due to this, decisions on several power projects and issues of vital importance remained pending.
However, the Governor has now reconstituted the Board of Directors of the Power Development Corporation.
Headed by Governor as its Chairman, the Board has Chief Secretary B R Sharma, Financial Commissioner, Planning and Development Department, B B Vyas, Commissioner/ Secretary Power Development Depart-ment, Dheeraj Gupta, Commissioner/ Secretary Finance, Naveen Choudhary, Managing Director JKSPDC Dheeraj Gupta, Director Finance JKSPDC Upinderjit Singh, Executive Director (Civil), Ahmed Muzaffar Lanker, Executive Director (Electrical), Ajay Gupta, Member Hydro CEA, Union Ministry of Power, S D Dubey and Executive Director Power Finance Corporation R S Dhillon as its Directors.
For want of decisions by the Board for nearly two years, the finalization of several power projects, which had been planned to harness the very large hydroelectric potential of the State, got delayed, official sources told EXCELSIOR, adding in order to ensure that pending proposals are cleared expeditiously the Governor has directed the Commissioner/ Secretary PDD, who is also Managing Director of the Corporation, to convene meeting of the reconstituted Board as early as possible.
According to the official sources, the Governor, while chairing meeting of newly reconstituted Board of Directors of JKSPDC in the coming days would clear bottlenecks so that Corporation initiates steps towards obtaining benefit of coal block allocated by the Union Coal Ministry in Odisha in the month of July 2013 for a period of 25 years.
“It is only for want of appropriate decision by the Board of Directors that a Joint Venture Company of JKSPDC and National Thermal Power Corporation with an equity stake of 33:67 could not be floated till date despite completion of all formalities”, sources said, adding “due to this the JKSPDC has lost more than two and half years but no substantial step has been initiated for going ahead with mining”.
Similarly, the Board decision is pending in respect of 93 Mega Watts New Ganderbal Hydroelectric Project and 37.50 Mega Watts Parnai Hydroele-ctric Project, sources said, adding appropriate decisions are also pending in respect of Brenwar Stage-II HEP, execution of 100 Mega Watts Parkachik-Pinikher project on river Suru in Ladakh and 80 Mega Watts Shutkari-Kulan project on river Sindh.
Moreover, issues relating to construction of 24 projects under Independent Power Producer (IPP) mode, financial closures of 48 Mega Watt Lower Kalnai and 37.50 Mega Watt Parnai Hydroelectric Projects are also required to be sorted out by the Board of Directors.
“The Governor, in the first meeting of the reconstituted Board of Directors likely to be convened within next some days, would clear the bottlenecks in all these projects so that progress is made towards harnessing of targeted hydroelectric potential”, sources said while disclosing that limited harnessing of potential despite immense availability has already been viewed seriously by the Governor and he may pass some new directions to give necessary impetus to the power generation.
Sources further informed that issue of regularization of daily rated workers of JKSPDC and restructuring of Corporation are also pending for want of decision by the Board of Directors. Moreover, despite completion of almost all the formalities no progress could be made for engagement of expert consultant for quantifying the losses suffered due to Indus Water Treaty (IWT) for want of decision by the Board of Directors.
“Some positive developments are also likely in this regard in the forthcoming meeting of the Board of Directors”, sources said.
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