Srinagar, Jan 12: At a time when the Power Development Department (PDD) is crying hoarse over the power tariff deficit, major security installations and camps in the Srinagar City alone owe nearly Rs 15 crores to the department. 
 This was revealed by the PDD in reply to an RTI application filed by Convener of J&K RTI Movement Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat. The response by the Chief Engineer PDD (M&RE Wing) Kashmir revealed that various paramilitary forces installations including CRPF and BSF owe a whopping Rs 14.69 crore in three Electric Divisions— Khanyar, Rajbagh and Shireen Bagh in summer capital. However, the information for the Electric Division-I (Basant Bagh) has not been received yet by the applicant.
 The information revealed that CRPF camps located at MLA hostel and Gupkar alone owe Rs 1.2 crore to PDD. It states that there are scores of other government offices and buildings in the City where the forces are yet to clear their dues from past many years.
 The locations include Doordarshan Kendra and Radio Kashmir Srinagar (Rs 30.6 lakhs), SRTC (Rs 31.94 lakhs), JKTDC at TRC (Rs 21.95 lakhs), Golf Club at MA Road (Rs 29.88 lakhs), Cricket Stadium (Rs 28.59 lakhs), Commanding Officer at Firdous Cinema and Sharda Devi Temple (Rs 38.45 lakhs) Commanding Officer at SKIMS Soura (Rs 49.82 lakhs),
 Dr Bhat had filed the RTI application on August 23, 2011 seeking information from the PDD about the total revenue collected from the security forces operating in the State since 1991.
 Besides, the RTI had sought details of security forces who have not paid the power bills since 1991,
 “The PDD did not provide the requisite information in time. Information pertaining to only few areas of Srinagar was provided by the Chief Engineer to whom my RTI application was transferred from Civil Secretariat. This is violation of J&K RTI Act 2009,” Dr Bhat told Greater Kashmir.
 He said the Public Information Officer (PIO) PDD at Civil Secretariat was supposed to inform him if the application was forwarded to various field departments of PDD. “These figures clearly show that the security forces are illegally using power,” he alleged.

Lastupdate on : Thu, 12 Jan 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 12 Jan 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:00:00 IST