Jammu, August 11
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate two hydel power projects — the Chutak hydropower project in Kargil and the Nimoo Bazgo project in Leh — during his maiden visit to Ladakh, the cold desert of the country, on Tuesday.

He would also lay the foundation of the Leh-Kargil-Srinagar transmission system, including the 375-km-long transmission line. This is the second visit of the Prime Minister to Jammu and Kashmir after assuming the power. On his first visit, he had inaugurated the Udhampur-Katra railway line and 240-MW Uri-II hydroelectric project located near the Line of Control in Baramulla district on July 4.

The Prime Minister will be received by Governor NN Vohra, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Army Chief Dalbir Singh Suhag, Ladakh MP Thupstan Chhewang and other senior ministers in the state cabinet at the Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport in Leh around 9.15 am.

Modi will address a public rally at the historic Polo Ground in Leh town after inaugurating the 45-MW Nimoo-Bazgo hydropower project. According to the local unit of the BJP, nearly 10,000 people from various parts of Leh, including border areas, are expected to attend the rally. From there, the Prime Minister is expected to leave for Kargil around 11.30 am to inaugurate the 44-MW Chutak hydropower project.

The Nimoo-Bazgo hydropower project is a ‘run-of-the-river’ scheme to harness the potential of the Indus river in Leh and designed to generate 239 MUs. “The approval for the project was accorded on August 24, 2006, by the Central government at the estimated cost of Rs 611 crore. However, on account of escalation, statutory charges and higher cost of award, the project cost has now been revised to Rs 985 crore,” sources said.

The barrage site of the Chutak project is located about 14-km upstream near Sarzhe village in Kargil. The project, a run-of-the-river scheme on the Suru river with installed capacity of 44 MW, is likely to generate 216 MU. “The approval for the Chutak project was accorded on August 24, 2006, at an estimated cost of Rs 621 crore. However, on account of escalation and statutory charges, the project cost has now been revised to Rs 894 crore,” sources said.

The Prime Minister would also lay the foundation stone of the Leh-Kargil-Srinagar transmission system project which would be executed by the Power Grid Corporation of India, the central transmission utility. The system would provide connectivity of Leh and Kargil area in Ladakh with Northern Region Grid at 220kV level for meeting demands of the Ladakh region.

The Leh-Kargil-Srinagar Transmission System includes 375 km transmission line at 220kV voltage level from Alistong (Srinagar) to Leh via Kargil with four 220/33kV sub-stations at Drass, Kargil, Leh and Khalsti. This transmission system would be able to facilitate availability of power of about 100-150 MW in the Ladakh region.

Former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had announced the Srinagar-Leh transmission line in August 2003 during his three-day visit to the state. The initial cost of the project was worked out at Rs 300 crore which escalated during the subsequent years due to delay in its start. The revised cost of the project is now over Rs 1700 crore.

The Ladakh region, having 56,000 sq km area and comprising Leh and Kargil districts, covers about 70 per cent of the total area of the Jammu and Kashmir region and is one of the highest inhabitation in the world with an elevation of 2400-m to 4500-m above sea level.

The difficult terrain has left the Ladakh region isolated with no electrical connectivity with the rest of the national power grid. The power demand of the area is met by some local small micro hydel (14MW) and diesel generators (12MW). The region is experiencing an energy shortage of about 95 per cent.