When the foundation of the power grid station was laid ten years back in Bandipora, it was then thought that it would end the electricity woes so endemic in the area for good. But all these years later the work on the building of the grid station has not been completed and no one is sure when the station would begin to work.
Ten years down the line, a grid station in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district is yet to be made functional as it is still incomplete even as the project has missed three deadlines.
The 50 MVA, 132/33 KV grid station in Putushai village of Bandipora commissioned under Prime Ministers Construction Programme (PMRP) and constructed by System and Operations Wing Kashmir TLCD has missed three deadlines and work is going on at snail’s pace.
Locals said that there has been an inordinate delay in the construction of the grid station owing to the indifference of successive regimes over the years. “The successive regimes have failed to complete the grid station even after passing of more than ten years. Similarly, the local district administration has also failed to take up the issue with the concerned authorities to make the multi-crore project functional,” said Muhammad Ayoub, a local resident.
According to locals 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 is yet to be made functional.
An official of the power development department said that they cannot provide power supply to the area round the clock as they have to face a lot of problems due to the absence of grid station.
“We get power supply form Amargarh grid station which already caters to several areas of north Kashmir including Bandipora. The present power supply provided from Amargarh, Pattan and Badampora, Ganderbal Grid Stations does not suffice to the needs of Bandipora. Had the Putushai grid station been completed the problem of frequent power cuts mostly during winters had been mitigated in the district,” he said.
Though the grid station has been completed and tested but the delay in laying transmission line has left the project hanging. The grid station has been constructed to benefit around 110 villages of the district.
According to details available with Greater Kashmir, 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 18 crores.
The 132 KV DC Transmission line from Badampora, Ganderbal to Bandipora was to be laid at an estimated cost of around 20 crores. The project has already missed three 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. In December 2016 also the commissioning of the project got delayed and till date, the grid station is yet to be commissioned and made functional.
District development commissioner Bandipora, Dr. Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, assured that by the end of December 2018 the project would be commissioned. “Grid station has been charged and tested but work on transmission line from Badampora to Bandipora, passing through Ganderbal and Srinagar is going on. The work will be completed by December 2018,” he added.