Lt Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha had ordered an enquiry to look into the unscheduled power outage in Jammu in June during sweltering heat.
During a high-level meeting at the Civil Secretariat, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on June 16 had assured the people of Jammu division that a Committee will be constituted by the Chief Secretary to enquire into the recent unscheduled power outage in various areas.
“Unscheduled power cuts that Jammu faced was not normal. That’s why, I have asked the Chief Secretary, Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta to constitute a committee to enquire into the matter and those found responsible should be given the highest punishment as permissible under the law. I want to assure the people that your sweat will not go in vain and officers responsible for your suffering will be punished soon,” the Lt Governor had said.
Shaleen Kabra, Principal Secretary Home Department, was appointed as the enquiry officer to look into the matter and report the matter to the Chief Secretary. It was learnt that Kabra also questioned a senior official of the department to ascertain the cause of power outage.
Before the inquiry into the power outage in Jammu reaches conclusion, it has come to the light that Jammu and Kashmir has the highest losses among power distribution entities in India.
J&K recorded aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses of 60.5% in the year ended March 2020. The high loss figure of J&K was followed by Nagaland (52.9%), Arunachal Pradesh (45.7%), Bihar (40.4%) and Tripura (37.9%).
While the Lt Governor was trying to bring the house of Power Department of J&K in order, some senior corrupt officials and staff is not letting the same.