Srinagar: Assuring the people that the government is on job to resolve the ongoing power (electricity) crisis in the wake of Power Development Department employees’ strike, Lt Governor Manoj Sinha Monday said that there can be no compromise on ensuring that people have to basic amenities, including electricity.
Making a statement on the electricity scenario in the UT on the sidelines of a function at Convention Centre in Jammu, Sinha according to an official handout said, “I want to tell 1.25 crore citizens of Jammu and Kashmir that I understand your pain caused by the disruption in electricity supply due to strike by the power department employees. The well-being of each and every citizen is our top priority.”
He said many generations of J&K have spent their life dreaming about getting an uninterrupted 24 hours supply of electricity and that the government has taken the bold initiative of reforms in the power sector to realize that dream.
“Unfortunately, the people who were at the helm of affairs for many decades did nothing; they didn’t want the system to get better to bring qualitative change in people’s lives,” he said.
The LG also said that talks have been held with those who are on strike, and “as on date, no dues/salary are pending on part of the government.”
“I do not want to name them, but some people have criticized that the army has been called to restore electricity. Personnel from REC, NTPC, NHPC, and officers from the army engineering corps have also come. This only shows our commitment that we restored 60 percent electricity yesterday and by tomorrow we will achieve 100 percent restoration,” he said, and added that there can be no compromise on the issue of ensuring access to the basic amenities to our people.
“Tremendous work has been done across the power sector in the whole country; rural areas are now getting electricity for 20-22 hours. Unfortunately, J&K is still deprived of that. We have made efforts in that direction,” he said. Most
“Our cumulative generation capacity is around 3,500 MW even though the UT has the potential to generate 20,000 MW. In the last 6-8 months, the MoUs we have signed with NHPC, under the guidance of Hon’ble Prime Minister, will pave way for generating 3,500 MW additional power in the next 4-5 years, assuredly,” the LG said.
He said that there is no dearth of electricity in the country but the UT’s transmission and distribution systems have a limited capacity of carrying electricity from outside. “We have worked in that direction and have been able to achieve 40 percent of that specific capacity building plan,” he informed.
“I want to assure that the Hon’ble Prime Minister has always extended his support to us and in the last 14 months, we have completed 236 projects to improve transmission and distribution infrastructure and the rest will also be completed, well within timelines,” he said.
“It pains me that despite massive progress in other parts of the country, people of J&K were deprived of minimum requirements to live a civilized life,” he added.
“If some people think that the system will work as per their whims and fancies, it cannot be allowed,” the LG warned, adding that the system will work for 1.25 crore citizens without any discrimination.
“Every step of the UT administration is meant for the betterment of 1.25 crore citizens of Jammu and Kashmir,” he asserted.
