CS reviews power sector reforms in J&K

Srinagar, Jul 02: Chief Secretary AtalDulloo conducted a comprehensive review of the Power Development Department (PDD) reforms across Jammu and Kashmir, aiming to enhance efficiency and significantly reduce Aggregate Technical and Commercial (AT&C) losses.
Key officials, including Principal Secretary of PDD, MDs of JPDCL/KPDCL, DG of Resources, Chief Engineers of JPDCL/KPDCL, and representatives from NTPC, PESL, and other concerned officers, attended the meeting.
The Chief Secretary stressed the timely completion of ongoing power sector reforms and loss reduction projects. He highlighted the necessity of improving billing efficiency and revenue collection to achieve full saturation for each feeder. Addressing electricity pilferage, Dulloo emphasized the need to close the substantial gap between energy supply and revenue realization, which runs into several thousand crores of rupees. He called for accountability and action against officers showing laxity in billing and revenue collection and underscored the importance of enforcing and legally combating power theft.
Principal Secretary PDD, H. Rajesh Prasad, provided an overview of current reforms, including the status of smart metering and integration into prepaid systems. He detailed loss reduction initiatives across various districts by agencies like JPDCL, KPDCL, PESL, and NTPC.
The meeting noted that Phase-I of the PMDP smart metering project is complete, with Phase-II ongoing. Of the targeted 5,57,994 meters, 4,48,931 have been installed, with 310 feeders fully equipped with smart meters, significantly reducing AT&C losses.
Under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) Phase-3, over 7.5 lakh meters are to be installed, with surveys completed by both discoms. The Ministry of Power has approved Rs 5620 crore for smart metering and loss reduction works in the UT. Projects include LT cable replacement, HT line cabling, HT line conductor replacement, high voltage distribution systems (HVDS), and feeder segregation.
AT&C losses have reduced to 40% in 2023-24, down from 51% in 2022-23. The gap between the Average Cost of Supply (ACS) and Average Revenue Realised (ARR) has also narrowed to Rs 2.18/kWh in 2023-24 from Rs 2.44/kWh in 2022-23.
Enforcement measures have led to the highest-ever revenue realization for the April-June 2024 quarter. Vigorous enforcement resulted in 18,199 disconnections and regularization of 6,152 connections following 78,811 inspections by various electric divisions in the UT.