J&K to focus on reducing power distribution losses, speed up metering: Omar Abdullah

Srinagar, Jan 2 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday said his government will focus on reducing power distribution losses and expediting metering in the union territory to ensure more electricity supply for the people.

“Metering is an ongoing process, it is a part of the government of India scheme. We are committed to implementing it and we will. Obviously, the more metering that happens, the less pilferage there will be,” Abdullah told reporters at a media interaction here.

He said both the J&K administration and the Union Power Ministry are committed to advancing these reforms and ensuring their successful implementation, “which we will do”.

Further, the chief minister said J&K is spending Rs 9,500 crore a year to buy power from the Centre.

On the power cuts in Kashmir, Abdullah said the government is providing more electricity supply to the people than the previous year.

“…we are supplying 1,700-1800 MW electricity, but the unrestricted load is more than that,” he said.

He said the sooner the power projects in J&K are completed, the sooner more electricity can be provided to the people.

“Even if their generation in winters is low, we can bank the power generated during summers. We will try to bank more electricity in the summers every year so that we utilise it in the winters,” he said.

The chief minister said J&K’s AT&C losses are more than 50 per cent and efforts are on to bring it down.

“Other states have brought it down to 15-17 per cent. Our endeavour is to bring it down at least below 20 per cent so that we can supply more electricity to the people,” he added.

Asked about his poll promise of providing 200 free units of electricity, Abdullah said the scheme will be rolled out in March or April.

“What we have promised in our manifesto. That will only happen when there is (complete) metering. We measure units only when there is metering…,” he said.