Handing over of Power Projects

Vikram Gour
Irrespective of the State’s continuously worsening performance in the Power Sector the State’s leadership has continued to pressurize the Centre for return of power projects run by NHPC in J&K. Whether this demand is genuine and in the national interest as also in the interest of the State or only a political ploy can be analyzed on facts.
Power Development Corporation (PDC) established in 1995 with 9-member Board of Directors (all top serving bureaucrats) has no professional on BOD.  PDC itself is usually headed by a Managing Director a non-technical bureaucrat ( retired or in service) with 7- Chief Engineers and 2-Chief Project Engineers has no trained and experienced cadre of Power Generation Engineers of its own right from top to bottom. It is functioning totally on the barrowed strength of untrained administrative as well as engineering staff on deputation from various other wings (PDD, R&B, Irrigation etc) of the State deputed to PDC by State Government without even a deputation allowance of any kind. These reluctant workers are ever eager to get out of PDC as soon as possible.  It may be of interest to know that for the reasons best known to the authorities  that during the last 20-years of its existence PDC has not created cadre of Power Generation Engineers of its own. No recruitment, no training/specialization of working engineers, no nothing. All the senior engineers of the rank of CEs and SEs in PDC may be only AEEs or Xens in their parent department and do not hold a substantive/permanent rank on which they might be working for years.
With this being the working conditions prevailing in PDC, it may not be very surprising to know that a number of Power Projects falling under Government control are partially or totally defunct. Upper Sindh stage-II having a capacity of 105-MW with three units of 35-MW each is generating only about 60-MW with one unit out of commission. Similar is the condition of Upper Sindh stage-1, Sewa Hydel project in Kathua, Chenani Hydel project stage-1 and stage-3. Much talked about 93-MW New Ganderbal Power Project with estimated cost of Rs  900-crores has not even taken off inspite of technical and economic clearance. Story of many of the projects being handled by PDC is pathetic.
The Power Development Department (PDD) of the Government is still struggling to cope up with 62% T&D losses. The 33-kv, 11-kv and 440/220 volts distribution system is in a shambles; almost 50% of total regular connections are unmetered. Against the total purchase of power of Rs 4,782.36 crores the recorded sale of power is only of less than Rs 1,800-crores causing a loss of 62% to the exchequer. Almost 50% of the connections are illegal. All this is because the entire system including the Human Resourse is terribly overloaded and therefore mismanaged. Right from top to bottom entire working is on ‘ad-hoc basis’. The Development Commissioner Power, Chief Engineers, SEs, Executive Engineers all are on ad-hoc promotions (thanks to the bureaucrats sitting in the Civil Sectariate). They might be only Xens or AEEs on book inspite of working for years on higher posts. Most of the engineers who retired as Dev. Commrs and Chief Engineers are drawing the pension of AEEs and Xens as they were not regularized during their service period.  Position down the line, right upto lineman, is the same. Although the network and workload has expanded many times and scores of employees have retired, no new recruitments have been made for years. Lower staff is asked to make their own arrangement to carry out the assigned duties. The State Government is prepared to lose more than Rs 3,000-crores annually but not prepared to spend half of that amount to strengthen the Power Sector.
This being the scenario of the existing total power sector in the State with what face the State’s political hierarchy has been crying for handing over of NHPC- run Power Projects to the state unless they want to close down the efficiently run Power Projects that are not only feeding the State but the entire Northern Region.
The new political dispensation in the State would be well advised to first overhaul and strengthen the entire Power Sector and make it capable of handling the big NHPC-run Power Projects and then demand the return of these projects to the State.
(The author is Member State Electricity Regulatory Commission Advisory Council)

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