Jammu: 24x7 supply for areas with smart meters

Jammu, March 21

In a major step towards ensuring uninterrupted power supply, the areas being installed with smart meters will be made free of power curtailment for the users, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said today.

At an event here, Sinha said, “From today, 6,603 smart meter households connected to four feeders of Jammu will receive quality electricity. I appeal to the people to install smart meters and help the administration in controlling theft and reducing wasteful consumption.”

He said the move would enable consumers to monitor their power consumption behaviour and regulate it accordingly. He said J&K had been incurring an annual loss of Rs 3,400 crore in transmission and distribution of power. “We are purchasing electricity for Rs 6,000 crore but only getting a revenue of Rs 2,600 crore. We are suffering a loss of Rs 3400 crore annually,” he said.

According to the L-G, the move would enable consumers to monitor their power consumption behaviour and regulate it accordingly. The prepaid feature, to be enabled in the coming days, would provide desired flexibility in the consumption of electricity to the consumers, he said.

Similar arrangements are being emulated in Kashmir as well, the L-G said.

He claimed that for the last seven decades, no credible efforts were made to increase the power capacity or strengthening the transmission and distribution capacity. The present government, he said, for the last one-and-a-half year is making sustained efforts to ensure reliable power supply to consumers, besides reducing transmission losses and improving distribution efficiency.

Hefty losses

Rs3,400 crore annual loss in transmission and distribution of power in J&K, says L-G Manoj Sinha.

Rs6,000 crore is spent on power purchase but the revenue is only Rs2,600 crore.

6,603 smart meters connected to four feeders in Jammu will receive quality electricity, the L-G adds.