Jammu: Acting tough regarding the administration’s winter preparedness, Chief Secretary Arun Kumar Mehta said unscheduled power cuts were unacceptable.
An official spokesman in a statement issued here said that chairing a winter preparedness review of the Power Distribution Companies (DisComs) at the civil secretariat here, the chief secretary instructed the officers to ensure that government workshops were replenished with spare parts, inspections of transformers be undertaken, and sufficient stock of transformers maintained to meet the demand during peak consumption season.
He said that the flat rate system of billing would be dispensed soon.
The chief secretary said that demand-side management to reduce losses and to ensure a regular supply of power to the customers was of paramount importance.
He said that for this purpose, effective enforcement had to be undertaken against power theft.
The chief secretary directed the department to ensure that the schedule of power cuts, wherever required, was publicised in advance so that the consumers could plan their activities accordingly.
He called for expediting the process of power lines installation between Ramban and Kishtwar, and Sonamarg and Gurez.
Reviewing the overall power scenario, the chief secretary called for hiring professional consultants for efficient and cost-effective power procurement by J&K.
He called for formulating definite procedures for such purchases, either through Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) or from power exchanges.
The officers were directed to set definite targets of revenue collection from regular customers and amnesty payers and asked for ensuring the efficiency of the process.
The chief secretary reiterated directions for the installation of at least 1.5 lakh smart meters each in Srinagar and Jammu cities by March 2023.
He directed concluding disciplinary action against the officers and officials incharge of feeders with losses greater than 90 percent immediately.
The chief secretary stressed that Aggregated Technical and Commercial (AT&C) losses should be maintained below 15 percent.
Principal Secretary Power Development Department (PDD) H Rajesh Prasad, Managing Director JPDCL Shiv Anant Tayal, and Managing Director KPDCL Yasin M Choudhary attended the meeting besides senior officers of the Discoms.
