Baramulla, Nov 29: The continuous campaign against illegal hooking and the implementation of new schemes has led to a significant drop in Transmission and Distribution (T&D) losses in electricity, plummeting from a staggering 65 percent to below 20 percent in multiple feeders across Baramulla areas.
A top official of Jammu and Kashmir Power Development Corporation Limited (JKPDCL) North Division said this remarkable achievement was made possible with the strict campaign against illegal hooking and the new schemes launched to improve the power scenario in the district.
Over the years, the government introduced Integrated Power Development (IPDS) and Restructured Accelerated Power Development and Reforms Programme (RAPDRP) schemes to improve the power scenario.
“In areas like Kanli Bagh, Microwave area, Jetty feeder, DIC feeder, T&D losses have now been curtailed to below 20 percent, a drastic improvement from the previous range of 65 to 70 percent,” the official said.
He highlighted the tangible impact of various schemes including the newly introduced RDSS besides the strict campaign on hooking b by the consumers.
The official said that under the newly introduced RDSS scheme, approximately 60 to 70 percent of areas have been catered in which cabling has been done and smart meters have been installed as well.
“The entire north Kashmir area will be covered by 2025 or 2026,” the official said.
The official emphasised that a substantial portion of electricity was now being conserved due to the advancements envisioned in new schemes.
He said that under the RDSS scheme key locations including Baramulla town, Sopore, Pattan, Boniyar Tangmarg, Watergam, and Rohama Rafiabad had been taken up for installation of smart meters and insulated cables and a major chunk of the area has been completed as well.
The official said that the major cause of energy losses was due to unauthorised hooking.
“The conventional method of drawing an 11 KV feeder from the receiving station and supplying energy to multiple houses with individual meters resulted in significant energy loss, with up to 45 percent attributed to hooking,” the official said.
He said that the previous attempts to address this issue by repairing electric poles and wires failed to control pilferage.
“But by installing smart meters and insulated cables, there has been a control on hooking by consumers. It will further reduce once all the areas are covered under RDSS,” the official said.
The official said earlier the consumers would engage in theft by exploiting traditional meters.
“This was made possible as the linemen would consistently underreport actual consumption, leading to unpaid bills and the perpetual cycle of meter replacement which would result in losses for the department,” he said.
The official said that with the introduction of smart meters, human intervention was eliminated and readings were sent directly to the server every day, putting a stop to major pilferage.
The official said that the progress of RDSS would be a substantial stride towards sustainable and efficient electricity distribution in Baramulla and other districts as well.
Another official said that during previous years, schemes like IPDS, and RAPDRP were launched with a fixed deadline to cover all the areas.
“But the department could not cover all the areas in previous schemes which got closed without meeting the target. Under the newly introduced RDSS, we are covering the backlog and also trying to meet the new targets as well,” the official said.