Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Oct 10: Government has spent over Rs 11,000 crore on purchase of electricity in the last three years and said that it can’t provide 24X7 power supply to the consumers.
Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh who also holds power portfolio told the Assembly in a written reply today: “Rs.3,945.850 crore were spent on purchase of energy from outside the State in the year 2013-14. Similarly Rs.4,719.604 crore were spent in 2014-15 and Rs.2,432.627 crore, till end of August this year.”
The State Government said it has to pump huge amount of money in meeting its power requirement and the revenue collected from electricity dues falls way short of the expenditure.
“In the year 2013, the Government recovered Rs. 1,713.37 crore, while as in 2014, Rs.1,738.17 crore were collected… till the end of August this year, only Rs.668.15 crore recovery could be made,” said Singh.
The reply said: “There are around 16,47222 registered consumers in the State out of which 8,38258 are metered consumers. Currently, NHPC generates 4,961 MW of hydroelectricity in six states out of which Jammu and Kashmir alone contributes 2,009 MW.”
The State generates 761 MW electricity from its own 21 power projects run by Power Development Corporation (PDC), while as it needs 2,500 MW to meet energy requirements.
PDC has said its main concern is transmission and distribution losses affecting power distribution service, with highest loss percentage of 74.65 percent in Ganderbal district in the Kashmir Valley and lowest of 23.31 in Poonch district.
However, it said it has been able to reduce transmission and distribution losses from 61.58 percent in 2012 to 55.20 percent in 2014.
In the meantime, Government said it was not possible for it to provide round-the-clock electricity supply to consumers at the moment due to lack of resources.
“It (electricity supply for 24 hours) is not possible at the moment as the State does not have the required resources needed for replacing obsolete infrastructure,” Minister of State for Power Mohammad Ashraf Mir said in the Assembly during Question Hour.
Mir said the improvement in the power structure required huge amount of funds which were not available to the state. ”We have some Centrally sponsored schemes sanctioned and improvement will take time,” he said.
“The State Government is making strenuous efforts to improve power infrastructure within the available resources”, the minister said. He said the infrastructure is being upgraded under Central schemes like R-APRDRP, IPDS and DDUGJY on equitable basis in all the constituencies.
Mir said priority is being given to complete ongoing power works and the Government is striving to bring all uncovered areas under electrification.
In reply to a question by PDP MLA Mohammad Abbas Wani, the Minister said Rs 10 crore each have been released in last two years for improvement of high tension and low tension network in various districts of Kashmir.
During the current financial year, the Government has released Rs 7.50 crore for Kashmir Valley for the said purpose, the minister stated.
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