Chairs Review Meeting on Winter Power Readiness in Jammu
JAMMU, DEC 04: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today chaired a high-level meeting to review the winter readiness of the Power Development Department (PDD) at the Civil Secretariat. The meeting focused on addressing challenges related to power supply, curtailment schedules, and revenue optimization in Jammu & Kashmir during the peak winter season.
Stressing the importance of public trust, the Chief Minister called for transparent and predictable curtailment schedules. “Deviations from announced schedules must be kept to an absolute bare minimum. While planned curtailments are acceptable to the public, unexpected and prolonged cuts lead to frustration,” he stated. He urged the department to minimize distress cuts and ensure reliable communication with consumers.
The meeting was attended by Advisor to CM Nasir Aslam Wani, Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, Additional Chief Secretary to CM Dheeraj Gupta, Principal Secretary PDD Rajesh H. Prasad, Principal Secretary Finance Santosh D. Vaidya, Managing Directors of DISCOMs, and senior PDD officials. Officers from Kashmir participated virtually.
Principal Secretary PDD, Rajesh H. Prasad, presented an overview of the department’s key focus areas, including power supply status, load curtailment schedules, revenue collection, power purchase costs, and strategies to address Aggregate Technical & Commercial (AT&C) losses. A comparative analysis of power availability and consumption trends from the previous year was also shared.
Discussions centered on ensuring uninterrupted power supply, addressing consumer demands, and plugging revenue leakages. The Chief Minister reviewed the progress of ongoing projects funded under the Union Territory budget, Centrally Sponsored Schemes, and the Prime Minister’s Development Package (PMDP). Proposed projects aimed at improving the power infrastructure were also evaluated.
Marking a significant milestone, Omar Abdullah launched the Monitoring of Load Curtailment Programme via the website www.LCPJK.in. The tool aims to bring transparency to curtailment schedules and enhance accountability in managing power cuts.
The Chief Minister urged the department to strictly monitor and implement efficient curtailment plans, emphasizing the need for timely execution of projects to ensure consistent power supply. “Our priority is to deliver reliable and predictable power supply while safeguarding the interests of consumers,” he added.
The meeting concluded with directives for the department to intensify efforts in addressing revenue shortfalls and technical inefficiencies to build a robust power distribution system across Jammu & Kashmir.
