Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister
Omar Abdullah on Wednesday asked the state Power Development
Department (PDD) to put in all efforts in mitigating
difficulties being faced by people in Kashmir Valley due to
shortage of electricity.
"The operationalization of Gas Turbine resulting in
augmentation of another 100 MWs of power and raising the
current availability from 950 MWs to 1050 MWs daily should
have impact on the ground," Omar told officers of the PDD.
Omar arrived here yesterday to visit the family of a
youth killed in CISF firing in Uri town of Baramulla district
during protests against lack of electricity supply in their
area on Monday.
The Chief Minister stayed back in the summer capital to
review the power situation.
Chairing a high-level meeting to review power status in
the Valley, the Chief Minister directed for close rapport
between administration and the people through public
committees to address the grievances of people on account of
power shortage.
He said the District Development Commissioners and
officers of PDD should constitute public committees in all
areas and keep constant liaison with people through these
committees to ascertain the power availability in the
particular area and the bottlenecks hampering smooth supply of
electricity.
"Managerial capacity has to be put in place to
rationalize the supply and face the challenge of huge
deficit," he said.
On the directions of the Chief Minister, a team of PDD
officers led by Minister of State for Power Shabir Ahmad Khan
and comprising Principal Secretary Power Sudhanshu Pandey is
currently on a tour of the Valley to look into the public
grievance on account of availability of electricity.
The team has already visited South Kashmir and parts of
Srinagar yesterday. It is scheduled to visit other parts of
Srinagar and Budgam district today while during next couple of
days the team will visit Bandipora, Ganderbal, Baramulla and
Kupwara districts to ascertain the functioning of power
installations along with availability of power in these areas.
Giving a brief about the power position in the Valley,
the PDD officials said due to 100 MW increase in power supply
position, the department would look into revising the power
supply schedule to give further relief to the people.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, January 04, 2012, 16:13