Blaming the previous regime for the ongoing power mess in the state, Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Abdul Haq Khan Sunday said the transmission and distribution system is being upgraded on war-footing basis in J&K to improve availability of electricity.Addressing a series of public gatherings during his extensive tour of district Kupwara, Abdul Haq said the transmission lines in J&K have no capacity to bear the required load and the previous government led by National Conference miserably failed to upgrade the transmission and distribution network in the State despite availability of huge resources.Haq said J&K needs 1700 MW of electricity during winters but the existing transmission system can carry only half of the load. "Even if we buy more electricity or use gas turbines, that will not solve our problem as we can't distribute the electricity to the people owing to transmission issues," he said and added that the present Government has started working on the upgradation of transmission system in a big way and a tangible improvement would be visible in the power sector soon.
"There is dire need to upgrade the transmission lines, receiving stations, sub stations and grid stations. We are working on it," he said adding by next year most of the outdated transmission system would be replaced in the state.Earlier the minister also inaugurated a Community Hall at Zurhama in Kupwara constituency. The community hall has been constructed under Border Area Development Program (BADP) at the cost of Rs 11 lakh.The minister also laid the foundation of a road at Alchizab connecting different habitations of the area with Kawari and Zurhama. More than 10000 people will be benefitted from the road constructed under MGNREGA. On the occasion minister was told that in the first phase, RDD spent Rs 10 lakh on the road.The minister also threw open the irrigation channel constructed under MGNREGA at a cost of Rs 4 lakh. The channel will irrigate 60 hectares of agriculture land of the area.Abdul Haq appreciated the work being done under MGREGA in the district. He asked officials to further extend the channel with an allocation of Rs 10 lakh.
The Minister also inspected the ongoing work on Super Model Village Laderwan. He asked the officials to accelerate the pace of work. The model village is being constructed under the program Sansad Adarsh Grameen Yojna (SAGY).
Under this program every Member of Parliament has to develop one model village in their constituency by year 2016 and two more villages by 2019.As the RDD has to formulate guidelines of the scheme, the village is developed under convergence scheme where MP and the department jointly do the developmental works. Minister was told that RDD has spent Rs 30 lakh in the village under MGNREGA.Minister appreciated the works and said that useful works are being taken up under MGNREGA.