LG Sinha direct officials to make J&K power sector robust, resilient

'Sustained efforts required to give fillip to start-up ecosystem'

Jammu: The Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha on Monday chaired a meeting to review the power scenario in Jammu and Kashmir and issued directions for effective enforcement for detection of electricity theft, wrong metering and unauthorised extensions in load.
The Lt Governor directed officials to integrate reforms for making the power sector robust and resilient.
"The Lt Governor directed for effective enforcement through a dedicated enforcement wing for detection of electricity theft, wrong metering, enquiring into public complaints, unauthorized extensions in load and surprise checking," a statement said.
The Lt Governor also directed officials to take immediate steps to ensure functioning of all 11 kV metres and repair damaged ones within a month.
"Smart metres must be saturated feeder-wise to protect consumer interests and quality standards. It will empower the consumers and help them to conserve energy and usage in an efficient manner," Sinha said.
He also sought a report on the steps taken to reduce AT&C losses, it said.
He further directed the department to fix the responsibility and draw up an action plan for reducing the losses within a specific timeframe.
The Lt Governor emphasized online registration of new consumers, massive awareness drive, proper maintenance of power infrastructure and constitution of teams of officers for monitoring physical condition of equipment.
Sinha gave directions for ensuring power supply to new industrial estates and railway tunnels, it added.
He also called for building a stronger ecosystem for nurturing the start-up culture to further drive economic growth.
Sinha, who chaired a review meeting of the department of Industries and Commerce, exhorted officials to strive to maintain the momentum of growth recorded in the previous year and build a stronger ecosystem for nurturing start-up culture that would further drive our economic growth.
"Sustained efforts are required to give a fillip to the start-up ecosystem that will further support entrepreneurship, and enable large-scale employment opportunities," Sinha said.
During the meeting, he was informed about the progress made and the milestones achieved towards developing a robust industrial ecosystem in Jammu and Kashmir.
Discussions were also held on One District One Product (ODOP) and District Export Plan (DEP) to realize the true potential of a district, fuel economic growth and generate employment.