Srinagar, Oct 2: J&K government has submitted a Rs 1,739 crore proposal to the Centre for extending the Accelerated Power Development and Reforms (APDRP) programme to 288 towns in the state with the aim of reducing transmission and distribution losses.
 “A proposal has been submitted to the government to India for extending the APRDP to 288 areas with a population of 4,000 souls and above at a tentative cost of Rs 1,739 crore,” officials in the Power Development Department said today.
 The officials said a detailed project report is being prepared in this regard following the success of a similar programme implemented in 30 towns of the state with a population of over 10,000.
 “The implementation of this programme will facilitate online monitoring of the power system in the state for sustained reduction of transmission and distribution (T&D) losses,” they said.
 The state government has undertaken a slew of measures for improving the power scenario in the state, including cutting down on T&D losses and increasing revenue collection.
 The officials said during the current financial year, nearly 60,000 illegal electricity connections have been brought under the tariff regime.
 Work on installation of electric meters has been revived and 1.70 lakh meters have been procured for the purpose. “Over 50,000 meters have already been installed at consumer premises during the current fiscal,” the officials added.
 The officials said multi-tier inspection squads have been constituted to check pilferage of electricity. “During 2,271 inspections, a fine of Rs 2.65 crore has been recovered, while 50 MW of electricity load has been regularised,” they said.
 These measures translated into additional revenue collection of Rs 116 crore up to August end this financial year, compared to the corresponding period last year, the officials said, adding this amounts to an increase of nearly 49 per cent in collections.
 “These steps have also resulted in a reduction of 2 per cent in T&D losses,” the officials said.
 Transmission and distribution losses in Jammu and Kashmir are among the highest in the country, at nearly 70 per cent of total supply.

Lastupdate on : Sun, 2 Oct 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sun, 2 Oct 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Mon, 3 Oct 2011 00:00:00 IST