Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, June 25: In what could be termed as height of insensitiveness, the Power Development Department has chosen to maintain criminal silence on the vital issues—maintenance of grid stations and checking of transmission losses, while filing compliance report to the various directives issued by the Jammu and Kashmir State Electricity Regulatory Commission.
The regulatory body has taken serious note of the non-serious attitude of the PDD officers that too at a time when there is a public outcry over repeated snapping of electricity supply due to poor maintenance of grid stations and transmission lines during the ongoing summer season and has given two months time to the utility for filing compliance report.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that in the Multi Year Tariff Order for the Financial Year 2013-14 to FY 2015-16, the State Electricity Regulatory Commission had directed the PDD to submit a status report on proper upkeep and maintenance of transmission lines and grid stations.
Moreover, it had also directed the PDD to maintain adequate spares and transformer capacities to prevent prolonged outage of the transmission system. The Commission had further asked the department to procure two Emergency Restoration Systems (ERS)—one each for Jammu and Kashmir regions, sources said.
However, the PDD maintained the callous attitude towards these vital issues and chose not to file any compliance report while filing petition before the SERC regarding tariff revision.
Similarly, the SERC had directed the PDD to carry out system studies for determination of transmission loss in the system through scientific methods and energy audit for estimating the actual transmission loss level for the base year, sources said, adding the report for the same was to be submitted along with Annual Performance Review/Tariff Petition for FY 2014-15.
“This issue too received no focus from those at the helm of affairs in the PDD as a result of which no response could be filed before the SERC”, they said.
Disclosing that SERC has expressed displeasure over non-serious attitude of the PDD towards these directives, sources said, “the Commission has now directed the PDD to take appropriate actions to comply with the directive for establishing ERS in the State and system studies for determination of transmission loss and file a compliance report within a period of two months from June 20, 2014”. At the same time, the Commission has made it clear that further non-compliance would invite punitive action under Sections 102 and 106 of the J&K Electricity Act, 2010.
According to the sources, the PDD has also shown disregard to the SERC directive regarding power system studies. The Commission had directed the PDD to submit a proposal for power system studies to be undertaken during FY 2013-14 within three months and thereafter a detailed cost benefit analysis of each study to be submitted along with the Annual Performance Review.
However, the PDD has not submitted a map of the transmission system showing accurately the spread of the existing transmission system in the State, transmission system under implementation and the proposed transmission corridors, sources informed.
About the monitoring of availability of transmission system, which was also one of the directives of the Commission, sources said, “no response has been filed in this regard too”. The SERC had directed the PDD to monitor and declare the availability of the transmission system duly certified by the State Load Dispatch Centre.
The Commission has also noted with concern that the Task Force and the Technical Committee, as per the decision taken by Board of Directors of State Power Development Corporation in its 68th meeting held in February 2013, have not been constituted so far despite the same being critical for ensuring coordination amongst various agencies in preparation of the action plan, prioritizing the requirements, identifying resources for funding the action plan and to monitor the implementation of the plans/project as per the stipulated time-frame.
It has now directed the Principal Secretary PDD to take immediate action in this regard for assessment of requirements of power infrastructure in the State during 12th and 13th Plan period based on demand projections and requirement on account of evacuation and utilization of power from various ongoing/upcoming projects.
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