*Customer Care opened over 2 months after inauguration
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Aug 21: Proper coordination and comprehensive planning are vital aspects for the progress in any sector but these facets receive least importance from those at the helm of affairs in the Power Development Department, which is otherwise plagued with numerous problems and subsequently increasing the woes of the people.
Numerous proposals aimed at improving the functioning of the department and providing respite to the people from the power curtailments have been gathering dust in the official files due to lack of vision on the part of those who have to clear such proposals after projecting their importance before the Chief Minister for being the Minister Incharge Power Development Department.
One such proposal about augmenting Janipur Grid Station was mooted several years back. Even the project report was prepared and then submitted to the concerned authorities for final decision but it has fallen victim to the myopic vision, official sources told EXCELSIOR.
“Instead of accepting or rejecting the proposal, the concerned authorities preferred to sleep over the project report”, they said, adding “it is not known whether the project report is still in the official files or has been thrown into the dustbin by treating it as trash”.
At present Janipur Grid Station has two transformers of 50 MVA each and both are badly overloaded thereby compelling the authorities concerned to go for distress curtailment and subsequently resulting into hue and cry among the people of the areas being fed by this grid station.
Sources said that the proposal of another 50 MVA transformer for which required space is available in the grid station was mooted in order to reduce the load on the existing transformers and meet the situation for next some years but the importance of additional 50 MVA transformer was not felt by those, who are taking decisions by sitting in their comfortable rooms and without feeling the heat.
There are eight Receiving Stations under Janipur Grid Station one each at Janipur, Subash Nagar, Muthi, Machallian, New Secretariat, Roop Nagar, Bantalab and Seetlie and feeding huge population. Due to overloading of Janipur Grid Station, forced curtailments are being imposed in the areas being fed from these receiving stations and resulting into public outcry particularly during the summer months.
“Ironically, the department is only focusing on construction of new receiving stations under R-APDRP programme despite the fact that without augmenting the grid stations situation cannot improve”, sources regretted, adding “it seems that those at the helm of affairs in the department lack proper vision and not interested to change their mindset for the betterment of the department and the people”.
“There are many grid stations like the one at Janipur which need immediate augmentation so as to meet the requirement of the consumers and the same is possible only when the department starts laying required focus on coordination and comprehensive planning”, sources said.
The intensity of the non-serious approach of the department can be gauged from the fact that Customer Care Centre, which is part of Data Recovery Centre was established two and half months after its formal inauguration by none else than the Chief Minister.
The Data Recovery Centre was inaugurated by Chief Minister on May 31 to smoothen the process of consumer care and provide online billing, payment, enquiry, connection etc facilities to the consumers. While receiving the power point presentation from the Power Development Department about the Data Recovery Centre, the Chief Minister had laid stress on strengthening consumer care service and ensuring quick response to the public grievances regarding power cuts, transformer damages and repairs besides others relating to the individual consumer concern.
“Astonishingly, the Customer Care Centre was established only few days back and the real objective of Data Recovery Centre is yet to be achieved”, sources said.
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