Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, Jan 29: Despite getting lesser supply, Jammu is paying more for the Power consumption in comparison to the Kashmir division, where the annual revenue realization has been less for the last three consecutive financial years.
Even as the Government has fixed lesser revenue targets for the Kashmir valley, apparently because of more illegal connections there, which are not in records of the Power Development Department, percentage of achievement against the target of revenue realization is also greater in Jammu.
According to the official data available with the Excelsior, during the current financial year, revenue of Rs 62921.77 lakh has been realized in Jammu province by the end of December 2016 whereas in Kashmir valley, Rs 38467.30 lakh only were realized as power tariff during this period.
Similarly, during the year 2014-15 and 2015-16, Jammu registered revenue realization of Rs 102171.74 lakh and Rs 107400.74 lakh, respectively while on the other hand, revenue realized in Kashmir province during these two financial years, was only Rs 69541.53 lakh and Rs 83717.28 lakh, respectively.
Notwithstanding more revenue realization from Jammu, power supply to the province is less than Kashmir valley. The power supply ratio in respect of Kashmir and Jammu provinces has been almost 55:45 during this period, official sources informed.
Against the revenue target of Rs 217776 lakh for the current financial year, around 29 percent of the same had been achieved in Jammu province by December 2016 whereas in Kashmir valley, an achievement of only 23.76 percent of the set target had been registered during this period.
Within Jammu province, Reasi with 42.02 percent achieved target, is ahead from all other districts and it is followed by Udhampur district with 41.56 percent achievement till December 2016. Jammu has registered 29.17 percent achievement of the target, Samba 27.08 percent, Kathua 29.84 percent, Rajouri 23.72 percent , Poonch 25.23 percent and Ramban 25.74 percent. Doda and Kishtwar are at the lowest in respect of revenue realization as these districts registered only 15.18 percent and 15.89 percent, respectively of the set target.
In Kashmir valley, maximum revenue realization was registered in Srinagar district (28.84 percent of the set target). It is followed by Bandipora (25.63 percent), Baramulla (23.56 percent), Shopian (22.55 percent), Kup-wara (22.05 percent), Pulwama (21.25 percent), Anantnag (19.35 percent), Kulgam (19.18 percent), Ganderbal (18.17 percent) and Budgam (17.12 percent).
Interestingly, Leh is far ahead from all the districts in entire Jammu and Kashmir in registering achievement against the target for the current financial year. By December 2016, the district had achieved 52.36 percent of the target while Kargil registered 22.11 percent achievement during this period.
Jammu district has been contributing maximum revenue among all the 22 districts of the State. In year 2014-15, tariff collection in this district was Rs 51217.49 lakh, which increased to Rs 63730.85 lakh in 2015-16. In the current financial year, Rs 31482.03 lakh were realized by the end of December 2016.
In Kashmir valley, Srinagar district realized Rs 28891.28 lakh revenue during the year 2014-15 and this increased to Rs 34909.30 lakh in 2015-16.
The total revenue realization of the State during the current financial year, was Rs 103912.27 lakh till December 2016, against the total tariff target of Rs 585978.06 lakh.