3.56 lakh households, 12 lakh people of 107 villages still living in Dark Era
Mudassir Ahmad
SRINAGAR: Around 4 lakh households in Jammu and Kashmir are yet to get the electricity despite the power that is being generated in the state has been lighting up thousands of villages in various parts of the country.
J&K is one among the states having vast hydro power potential from where electricity is also being supplied to several parts of India. But the state on its own is suffering for want of power as it has to purchase electricity worth hundreds of crores annually from the centre-owned NHPC and other power corporations.
The state has a hydroelectricity potential of 20,000 MWs of which around 3000 MWs have been identified so far with NHPC generating 2009 MWs from its seven power projects which is almost half of the energy, the power giant generates from its projects in other states. The J&K gets a share of just 13 percent from the electricity that NHPC generates in the state. The State Power Development Corporation has 20 hydroelectric projects in J&K with installed capacity of 758.70 MW.
According to official figures, over 3.56 lakh households comprising of around 12 lakh people of 107 villages are unelectrified so far in J&K, where the inhabitants still use the traditional forms of lighting their home because the government doesn't have capacity to provide them electricity. Of these 107, villages, most falls in Chenab belt of the Jammu region
A senior official of the PDD said the J&K government has signed an MOU with the Centre for a scheme which would help speedy availability of power to around 107 villages. He said in Kashmir, the PDD receives 1200 MWs and the demand for the electricity is much higher.
Deputy Chief Minister, Nirmal Singh, who is also the power minister said government will provide 24×7 electricity to all households by 2019. The J&K has purchased power around Rs 30,000 crore during last one decade thus putting a huge burden on the state exchequer. The PDD's liabilities have also increased to over Rs 7,000 crore.
As per the data, the state government has spent Rs 1355 crore on power purchase in 2006-07, Rs 1750 crore in 2007-08, Rs 2034 in 2008-09, during 2009-10 Rs 1997, Rs 2200 in 2010-2011.
In 2011-2012, the data reveals that Rs 3000 crore was spent on power purchase while in 2012-13 the powerbill for the State was Rs 3870 crores, Rs 3945.85 in 2013-14, in 2014-2015 Rs 4719.60 and in 2015-16, Rs around 4800 crore.
Earlier, a Cabinet Sub-Committee (CSC) in 2011 to review the pact with NHPC on all power projects had recommended to the government to buy back from the Corporation two projects—690 MW Salal and 480 MW Uri-I—at depreciated cost of Rs 2566 crore. Under the UPA Government various committees like Working Group on economic development of JK, Rangarajan Committee and Task Force on development of the State—had recommended transfer of the two power projects.
