Lt. Governor Girish Chandra Murmu reviewed the status of Power Development Department in a meeting held at the Raj Bhavan here this evening.Sh. BVR Subrahmanyam, Chief Secretary; Sh. Arun Kumar Mehta; Financial Commissioner, Finance; Sh. Bipul Pathak, Principal Secretary to Lt. Governor; Sh. Dheeraj Gupta, Principal Secretary, Housing and Urban Development Department; Sh. Hirdesh Kumar, Secretary JKPDD; were among those present in the meeting.Sh. Hirdesh Kumar gave a presentation on the power scenario of J&K and the road map formulated by the Department for ensuring its self sustainability including capacity addition and network augmentation in the Transmission and Distribution Lines, energy efficiency initiatives like introduction of LED Bulbs in all the government buildings and street lights. He said that the 11,991 street lights maintained by the Municipal Bodies have been replaced by the energy efficient LED bulbs. He also informed that JKPDD has engaged RECPDCL for implementation of smart meter project in J&K to be completed within the next 3 years. He also informed about the achievements under the various Centrally Sponsored Schemes for 100% electrification of the urban and rural households.Lt. Governor directed to put a stern check on power pilferage and advised the Department to come with viable solutions for meeting the power deficit and outstanding balance amount in the power bills. He suggested exploring the renewable energy sector particularly harnessing the solar energy and give a push to the Gas Pipe Line project for augmenting power availability in J&K.
He also directed for revision of the Flat rates and maintenance of the strict discipline by the staff while discharging their duties.Lt. Governor directed the Secretary PDD for earliest restoration of electrical lines in the Valley and handed over a list of areas, locations with disrupted electricity supply for which action taken report was desired urgently. He advised to ensure well designed towers for future including laying out of underground cables to protect the supply. He stressed that no effort should spared in 100 % restoration of electricity in the Valley and that the administration should always work in a transparent and accountable manner with people friendly approach.Later Lt. Governor chaired a meeting to review the arrangements underway for the proposed J&K Global Investors Summit to attract investment in J&K.Sh. BVR Subrahmanyam, Chief Secretary; Sh. Arun Kumar Mehta; Financial Commissioner, Finance; Sh. Bipul Pathak, Principal Secretary to Lt. Governor; Sh. Navin Choudhary, Principal Secretary Industries and Commerce along with other senior officers participated in the meeting.Lt. Governor advised creating Committees of officers and entrust responsibilities well in advance for successful conduct of the Summit. He suggested preparing a video presentation which could aptly highlight the potential sectors of J&K for investment and creating interactive social media handles for the Summit.Lt. Governor observed that our priority should be long term investments and with environment friendly industries. He suggested for holding meetings with Indian investors before the Summit, for highlighting the current status and growth potential of the identified sectors in J&K.