Aatif Qayoom
Srinagar, Sept 07: Power Development Department (PDD) is fully prepared to deal with the upcoming winters, said the officials on Wednesday.
They added that the department has made a strong infrastructure to combat the difficulties faced by the people in peak winters.
The Chief Engineer, PDD, Kashmir, Er. Javid Yousuf told Rising Kashmir that the department is fully prepared for the upcoming winters and said that last year the demand-supply was 1750 Megawatts and this year the same is expected to reach 2000 Megawatts.
The Chief Engineer stated that the department has increased the infrastructure and is also installing smart meters and LTAP cables to avoid uncontrolled load shedding across the valley.
Earlier, the Chief Engineer said, the department has accelerated the installation of smart meters throughout the valley in order to reduce power theft in the city and elsewhere.
He said that in the first phase, Srinagar City will be covered, and gradually other cities and villages will be followed.
In the first phase, he stated, 58,000 smart meters would be placed. 48,000 of them have been installed, and the remaining ones will be finished by October.
In Srinagar and other areas of the valley, more than 3 lakh smart meters will be deployed. He went on to say that there would not be any electricity theft with the installation of LTAPs and smart meters.
The official said that they have sped up the installation of smart meters and LTAP cables to avoid illegal hooking up this winter, adding that the step will help the department to end load shedding.
According to an official who spoke on the condition of anonymity, the Kashmir valley faces an acute power shortage during peak winters due to the overuse of crude heating devices.
He stated that this year, the department will again constitute the inspection teams from early winter at non-smart meter zones to avoid load shedding.
The department will take strict action against those who commit power theft this winter, and FIRs will be filed against repeat offenders, said the officer.
Notably, the government of Jammu and Kashmir has earlier said that the Union Territory will get 24×7 electricity as the union government has sectioned projects worth over 12922 crores. The project will be completed in the next three years, officials said on Sunday.
They added that the project would generate an additional 3000 MW of electricity. After that, the UT will get electricity round the clock. The documentation of the project has been completed, and the mega project is expected to be completed by the year 2025.
