Eleven years down the line grid station in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district is still incomplete owing to the inordinate delay in its construction by the successive regimes.According to wire service- Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the 50 MVA, 132/33 KV grid station in Putushai village of Bandipora under Prime Ministers Construction Programme (PMRP) being constructed by System and Operations Wing Kashmir TLCD is under construction since 2009.Locals said that the successive regimes have failed to complete the grid station even after passing of more than nine years, speaking volumes about the lethargic approach of the concerned authorities.“The foundation of the grid station was laid in 2009 when the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh approved the project under PMRP but till date the grid station has not been made functional, leaving the residents of Bandipora high and dry. The inordinate delay in its construction has made the people of Bandipora suffer a lot as the present power supply to the district does not suffice the needs of the district,” said Muhammad Aslam, a local resident.As per details available with KNO, the project has two components viz 50 MVA, 132/33 KV grid station and 132 KV D.C Transmission line. The grid station was to be constructed at an estimated cost of 17.11 crores which was later revised to 17.52 crores.The 132 KV D.C Transmission line from Badampora Ganderbal to Bandipora was to be laid at an estimated cost of 19.85 crores.The project has already missed several deadlines.
Earlier, the grid station was to be commissioned in March 2016, later the commissioning date was extended to December 2016 due to some ROW (Right to Way) issues and later the deadline for completion was again extended next year.In the year 2019 the deadline for completion and commissioning of the grid station was fixed by last week of November, however, the grid station is yet to be commissioned.Officials said that presently, power supply to the district is being provided from Amargarh, Pattan and Badampora Ganderbal grid stations, which does not suffice to the needs of the district.“With the completion of the Putushai grid station smooth power supply to the district will be ensured and curtailments/losses will get minimized. The grid station has been constructed to benefit around 110 villages of the district. If the grid station is not completed this year the power scenario in the district will get worsened owing to the less power supply from the grid stations, the district presently gets power supply from,” said an official of the district.Local said that many villages of the district continue to reel under darkness due to the erratic power supply, they reel under darkness due to minor snags to the transmission lines. Several grid stations of other districts which were taken up in the same year when Putushai grid station was taken up have been completed but ours is still incomplete for reasons bets known to the authorities,” the locals said.An official of the district said that it is expected that the grid station will be charged by January 11 as the transmission line from Badampora to Bandipora has been completed.“With the commission of the grid station the power scenario in Bandipora will improve and it will be a big relief for the residents and district administration as well as the project is hanging from last 11 years,” he said. (KNO)