Last Updated on January 18, 2021 at 12:22 pm
Ending the reign of darkness, Ganouri-Tanta village in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir received electricity for the first time on Sunday. An official spokesperson said that Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha ordered the electrification work of the village as a group of locals demanded the same in his last “LG Mulaqaat” programme.
The LG ordered the Doda district administration to make sure that the village gets access to electricity within a month. The district administration electrified the remote village in a record time of 15 days against the provided time of a month.
After getting the LG’s directions, the district administration collaborated with the Jammu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (JPDCL) and Shalaka officials started the work even as weather conditions were very hostile making the task extremely difficult. In order to celebrate the historic moment with the villagers, District Development Commissioner (DDC) Sagar D Doifode visited the village and light a bulb while villagers appreciated his and others efforts by clapping.
The DDC congratulated the villagers on getting access to electricity for the first time. He reiterated the promise of the LG’s administration to provide all basic facilities to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, no matter if they live in a city or in a remote village.
Officials were monitoring the progress of electrification on a daily basis while providing items which were needed by the JPDCL team in setting-up the electric lines. Because of their dedication, the executing team finished the work in just half-a-month, around half of the time allowed to them.
It is estimated that the UT can produce hydropower around 20,000 Megawatts (MW), of which approximately 16,475 MW have been identified. Out of this total identified amount, 11,283 MW is in Chenab basin, 3,084 MW in Jhelum basin, 500 MW in Ravi Basin and 1,608 MW in Indus basin. government is continuously working to harvest electricity in these areas. As of now, the Union Territory of J&K produces around 3,740 MW of electricity, 95% of which is renewable against the national average of 36%.
In August 2015, PM Modi launched a scheme to electrify all the villages in India by December 2018. However, providing electricity to remote villages has been often quite a challenging task for authorities and as a result, a small number of villages even don’t have access to electricity.
