SRINAGAR: While the Power Development Department has missed several deadlines for installation of 100 percent metering in the state, the government has decided to outsource the metering project to ensure its completion by 2019.
The PDD has been facing hurdles in installing metres in several areas due to public resentment resulting the department had missed several deadlines of 100 percent metering over the years.
The PDD has projected installation of 1147723 metres from 2015 to 2019 in domestic and non-domestic categories of which 202374 have been installed during 2015-2016, and has projected installation of 252537 metres in 2016-2017, 344709 in 2017-2018 and 348103 in 2018-2019. The Department had earlier set up the target of 100 percent metering by 2014 and was later extended to 2015 after facing protests in various parts of the state and now set up the deadline to 2019.
To ensure completion of the metering project within the scheduled time, the department has decided to outsource the metering project to a central agency for expedition of the process.
Official documents reveal that the pace of metering has been very slow during the last couple of years due to resource constraints and some bottlenecks.
The JKPDD has revised the metering plan and now proposes to meter all the consumers by the end of 2018-19. Owing to repeated failure of tendering process, a parallel mechanism for procurement and installation of meters through a central government agency will also be put in place in addition to the procurement through tenders so that the metering process is expedited and completed within three years, the documents reveal.
A senior official told KNS that the meters procured in the past had developed defects which necessitated replacement of the meters. While the 2019 has been set up the deadline for installation of the meters but many existing ones have also become obsolete and government is also considering how to replace them in a phased manner, he said.
He said the installation of meters was to reduce the pilferage of power in transmission and distribution (T&D) process but has been stopped in some areas due to protests.
The installation of metering would reduce the power pilferage and people will get 24-hour power supply, he said.
He said the implementation of R-APDRP scheme will facilitate purchase of meters which would help in meeting its targets.
Commissioner Secretary PDD Dheeraj Gupta said the installation of metering was an ongoing process to ensure electricity is consumed judiciously. We are hopeful to complete the installation process within the scheduled time, he said.(KNS)
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