The state government has taken a strong note over the continuing Aggregate Transmission and Commercial Losses (AT&C) and has directed the Power Development Department (PDD) to bring it down to 50 percent by March 2016.
Deputy Chief Minister and Power Minister, Nirmal Singh said though the AT&C losses have been brought down “but we have asked the officials that it should be further reduced to 50 percent by March 2016”.“The losses have been contained and reduced from 61 to 55 percent. We have been able to ensure stabilization in load profile and have improved on the rate of transformer damages. We will be giving the target every year to reduce the transmission losses,” he said.
The commercial and transmission losses have been the main reason for the budgetary deficit in the state even as PDD has failed to meet the targets of revenue collections. The actual realization from the power tariff has been significantly lower than the targets.
The AT&C losses were 62.82 percent in the state in 2014-15 which has now been reduced to 55 percent. The losses were 64.12 percent in 2012-13 and 57.02 percent in 2013-14.
Singh said the power transmission infrastructure in the state will be upgraded to reduce the transmission losses.
As per government records, in the last three years there has been only a negligible improvement in the transmission and distribution (T&D) losses in both Jammu and Srinagar districts. In Jammu district against the T&D loss of 37.7 percent in the year 2012-13, the loss was 35.03 percent in 2013-14 and 33.95 in 2014-15. In Srinagar district, against the T&D loss of 62.3 percent in 2012-13, it was 62.1 percent in 2013-14 and 62 percent in the financial year 2013-14.
The T&D losses were the highest in Ganderbal and Shopian districts of the state at 74.56 percent and 72.5 percent respectively in 2014-15.
In Budgam the T&D loss was 64.75 percent, 62.7 percent in Bandipora, 63 percent in Baramulla, 68.4 percent in Kupwara, 62.1 percent in Pulwama, 63.8 percent in Anantnag and 68.65 percent in Kulgam in 2014-15.
The T&D losses in these districts were in similar range in the last three years, official records reveal.
As per the government records, the lowest T&D losses were in the districts of Samba and Poonch and were 23.38 percent and 23.31 percent in 2014-15.
“Our books of accounts show deficit every year due to the heavy AT&C losses owing to the fact that the transmission and distribution infrastructure in the state has not been upgraded,” said a senior government official.
