Top officials from the power development department rushed to inspect the ongoing construction work on Alstang grid station on the day Greater Kashmir reported about the delay in completion of the key project that would enhance the department’s energy handling capacity in the Valley significantly.
A source said the administrative head of the power development department Hirdesh Kumar along with the development commissioner Power and chief engineers EM&RE, system and operation, and officials from the Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PDCIL) spent at least three hours at the upcoming grid to review its pace of work.
The source insisted “early completion” of the project was a priority for the government.
Approved under Prime Minister’s Reconstruction Program in 2006, along with other power projects, the Alstang grid has suffered more than a decade of delay in its completion.
It was allotted to an outside company for execution that year only, but six years later the contractor left the project midway.
In November last year, when Greater Kashmir reported about non-completion of the project which would increase power handling capacity in Kashmir by 300-MW, the then chief minister Mehbooba Mufti set an eight-month deadline for the department to complete the pending works. The unrestricted power demand in the Valley is 1900-MW while its power handling capacity is only 1250-MW.
While it took some time for the system and operation wing of the power department, which is executing the project, to complete the formalities to take up the work afresh, an official said the work on the grid station “actually” picked up from the beginning of last month.
The main issue is that the work on around 35-km-long Zainakot-Alstang transmission line is yet to be completed owing to issues related to acquiring of land at many places.
“At least some 40 towers on the line are to be constructed,” said the official.
“This is the real issue even if we may be able to complete work on the grid in coming few months,” said the official, adding that during the recent past, at least three chief engineers were shifted from system and operations wing of the department.
“It also led to delay,” he said.
But, the official said, once the project comes up, the Valley will get a “smooth supply” of power, even during winters.