Unscheduled power cuts unacceptable: Chief Secretary

Jammu, Nov 8: Chief Secretary Dr Arun Kumar Mehta chaired a winter preparedness review of Power Distribution Companies (Discoms) here at the Civil Secretariat Tuesday.
The Chief Secretary instructed the officers to ensure that government workshops are replenished with spare parts, inspections of transformers should be undertaken and sufficient stock of transformers is maintained to meet demand during peak consumption season. He stated that the flat rate system of billing will be dispensed with soon.
The Chief Secretary observed that demand side management to reduce losses and to ensure regular supply of power to the customers is of paramount importance. For this purpose, effective enforcement has to be undertaken against power theft. The Chief Secretary directed the Department to ensure that the schedule of power cuts, wherever required, is publicized in advance so that the consumers can plan their activities accordingly.
He called for expediting the process of power lines installation between Ramban-Kishtwar and for Sonamarg and Gurez.
Reviewing the overall power scenario, Dr. Mehta called for hiring professional consultants for efficient and cost effective power procurement by the UT. 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 efficiency of the process. The Chief Secretary reiterated directions for installation of at least 1.5 lakh smart meters each in Srinagar and Jammu cities by March 2023.
The Chief Secretary directed for concluding disciplinary action against officers/officials in charge of feeders with losses greater than 90 percent immediately. He stressed that Aggregated Technical and Commercial (AT&C) Losses should be maintained below 15 percent.
The meeting was attended by Principal Secretary Power Development Department (PDD), H. Rajesh Prasad; Managing Director JPDCL, Shiv Anant Tayal and Managing Director KPDCL, Yasin M Choudhary among other senior officers of the discoms.