SRINAGAR: After a long gap of 75 years of independence, the residents of Saddal village in Udhampur have been able to get rid of darkness from their lives with the electrification of their area under the prestigious Central Government’s ‘Untied Grants Scheme’.
The natives of this village are now hopeful for a better future for their children as earlier, the only source of light during the evening hours in the village was candles and oil lamps, which gradually became a part of their day-to-day life.
Similarly, Ganouri-Tanta village in the mountainous Doda district saw the light of an electric bulb for the first time, ending the decades of darkness in the lives of the villagers.
The administration took up electrification work in the village on the directions of Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, after a group of locals put forward the demand before him at the LG Mulaqaat programme.
The Jammu and Kashmir administration has set its target to harness the hydropower potential of the region in order to make J&K power surplus in the next five years.
In order to achieve this target, the administration has taken up several path-breaking reforms in the power sector which will change the dynamics of the power sector here.
After 75 years of Independence, the Jammu and Kashmir government has launched unprecedented reforms to bolster and rejuvenate this ailing sector.
The UT is likely to see a capacity addition of 3400 MW in the Hydro Power sector within a few years from now. Availability of electricity has been enhanced in both Jammu and Kashmir divisions. Besides, the Revised Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) is being implemented at a cost of Rs 5641 crores to ensure the availability of quality power to all citizens, he said.
Although power generation, distribution, and transmission sectors have seen substantial capacity addition, an official added.
In the past 70 years, only 3500 MW out of the potential of 20,000 MW had been harnessed in Jammu and Kashmir. Once the entire potential is exploited, J&K will have surplus power and can be an energy exporter. However, in the past two years alone, the projects for about 3000 MW capacity have been revived and subsequently put on track for operationalization.
Likewise, new projects of 3300 MW have been planned to be executed soon which included four projects of Kirthai II (930 MW), Sawlakote (1856 MW), Duhasti stage II (258 MW), and Uri-I stage II (240 MW).
Also, back in January 2021, in a historic moment for energy sufficiency in Jammu and Kashmir, Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) were signed for the implementation of much-awaited Mega Hydro Power projects including 850 MW Ratle HEP and 930 MW Kirthai-II HEP.
In the words of Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, the vision of the government was to harness the hydro energy resources of J&K with a goal to double the energy generation by 2024 and also to prepare a strategy for efficiency through policies, monitoring mechanisms to ensure energy security for economic and social benefits.
