Chairman Legislative Council, Haji Anayat Ali today said that Government is keen to harness the hydroelectric and solar energy potential of Kargil district to make the area self-sufficient in terms of power production.The Chairman stated this while inaugurating the 1.5 MW Biaras Small Hydro Power Project at Drass in the district. The project has been executed by Kargil Renewable Energy Development Agency (KREDA) under the funding of the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy at a cost of Rs 17 crore and is catering to the power requirements of around 1500 households in Drass town and adjoining villages including Mushkow valley, Holiyal, Murad Bagh, Goshan, Bearass besides other hamlets in the area.Member Legislative Assembly Kargil, Haji Asgar Ali Karbalai, Chairman and Chief Executive Councillor Kargil, Kacho Ahmad Ali Khan, Executive Councillor for Education, Advocate Muhammad Amir, Executive Councillor for Rural Development, Aga Syed Hassan ArmaanMosavi, Executive Councillor for Agriculture, Muhammad Hussain, Senior Superintendent of Police Kargil, TseringGyalpo, Advisor to CEC Kargil Haji Muhammad Shafi besides Project Director KREDA, Kacho Ahmad Khan accompanied the Chairman.
After inaugurating the power project, the Chairman also addressed a public meeting at Tourist Dak Bungalow Drass. He said the present regime is fully conscious of the growing power requirements of the people in line with the current trends and keeping this idea in mind a number of projects in the district are in the pipeline.Haji Anayat said that work on 1.5 MW SHP Sangrah, 1.5 MW SHP Khandi, 1 MW SHP Chillung and other projects is in full swing while as two new projects have been identified at Umba and BarsooNallah under the Prime Minister’s Development Programme (PMDP). He said that projects at Mizat and Umba and other projects at BarsooNallah are in the DPR stage, while as their prefeasibility report has been prepared and submitted to the concerned quarters.Referring to other hydel and solar projects, the Chairman said that surveying process for construction of three 25 MW hydel projects in the district is being carried out by the Power Development Corporation (PDC). He said under PMDP the tendering process of 7MW solar power projects including 3MW at Yurbaltak, 1 MW each at Drass, Sankoo and Zanskar has been completed and work on these projects is slated to be kick-started early next year. He said that 5000 home lighting systems have also been sanctioned for the district under PMDP which already stands tendered by JAKEDA.
The Chairman exhorted upon the officers and technical staff of KREDA to work in close coordination with the PDD authorities, electricity coordination committees besides people to make judicious use of power so that the project is run in the best possible manner. Meanwhile, the Chairman met a number of public delegations and took firsthand appraisal of their grievances and demands that included appointment of sufficient number of doctors at Sub District Hospital Drass, deployment of snow clearance machines in the area, appointment of Principal and Head Masters at Higher Secondary School Drass and middle schools, opening up of high schools for girls, construction of tunnel between Matayen and Pandrass and other related issues.Responding to the public demands, the Chairman said that the present government is fully conscious of the aspirations of the people and all their genuine demands would be fulfilled in a phased manner.