Historic move, says LG
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 11: Ratle Hydroelectric Power Corporation Limited (RHPCL) and Megha Engineering & Infrastructure Limited (MEIL) today inked a contract agreement for the turnkey execution of 850MW Ratle HEP within a stipulated timeframe.
In presence of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, the contract agreement was signed between Deepak Saigal, CEO RHPCL and Umamaheswara Reddy, Vice President MEIL at the Convention Centre.
Speaking on the occasion, Sinha termed the signing as a historic move to realize the goal of making J&K self-sufficient in Power sector.
He said that the reformative measures undertaken by the UT Government for execution of the much awaited mega power projects has created the framework for achieving energy sufficiency in J&K.
“I express my heartfelt gratitude to PM Narendra Modi for prioritizing the rapid development of J&K with approval of new power projects to address the current power deficit and to meet the needs of UT’s expanding economy,” the Lt Governor said.
“We have undertaken a large-scale capacity augmentation programme in the power sector resulting in a huge leap in power transmission and distribution capacity. The new power generation projects like Ratle, Pakal Dul, Kiru etc will bridge a major gap in the UT’s electricity requirements,” he added.
Noting that the 850 MW Ratle Power Project will provide massive direct and indirect employment opportunities to the local population, Sinha directed the concerned agencies to lay down a comprehensive mechanism for the skilling of the local people which will enable them to avail job opportunities in the execution of the project.
He said that power generation, transmission and distribution sectors are being strengthened and modernized to provide quality and reliable power supply to the people.
“Power supply needs of the people have been neglected for seven decades. Despite having the capacity to generate 20,000 MW hydropower, only 3500 MW of electricity was harnessed in 70 years. Now, the generation capacity is set to be doubled in next four years,” he added.
“J&K is on its way to become power surplus from power deficit through better use of resources, vision and planning. We are finding permanent solutions to all those problems which are hindering the progress of the energy sector, besides upgrading and improving the power infrastructure to ensure energy security for people,” the Lt Governor observed.
He stated that J&K fares better than many States/ UTs in terms of power supply to industries. The UT administration was able to achieve the capacity augmentation of up to 231.5 MVA till December 2021, but in the last three months, it has been increased to 601.5 MVA, which has strengthened the power system in the industrial areas of Jammu, Samba and Ghatti.
The Lt Governor said that several power projects were inaugurated in both Jammu and Kashmir divisions, in the last few months, with an aim to improve the quality of life of the people of J&K.
With the coming up of Ladakh- Jammu Kashmir- Punjab transmission line project, there will be no dearth of power availability in J&K, he observed.
The Government machinery is doubling its efforts to reduce the power deficit; implementing the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) project; providing curtailment free quality power to the end-users in the areas with 100% smart metering to reduce the power deficit and improve the power system in the UT, he further added.
Dr Arun Kumar Mehta, Chief Secretary, while speaking on the occasion, assured every possible support from the administration to ensure effective and timely completion of the mega project.
Nitishwar Kumar, Principal Secretary to Lt Governor and Principal Secretary, Power Development Department, in his address, termed the occasion as a massive achievement towards bringing power sufficiency in the UT.
I D Dayal, Director, RHPCL spoke on the occasion and briefed about the prestigious project. Raja Yaqoob Farooq, MD JKPDC presented the Vote of Thanks.
Atal Dulloo, Additional Chief Secretary, Finance Department; Rohit Kansal, Principal Secretary to Government, Information Department; Alok Kumar, Principal Secretary, Youth Services & Sports Department; Dr Raghav Langer, Divisional Commissioner Jammu; members on the Boards of RHPCL; senior officers of NHPC, PDD & Power Corporations, besides other concerned officials were present on the occasion.
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