Residents of Baramulla village hold protest over delay in commissioning of power station

Baramulla, Aug 02: The residents of Mulgam Kunzar in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district expressed anguish over the delay in the commission of the 6.3 MVA receiving station despite being completed two years back.

The aggrieved residents on Friday staged a protest against the KPDCL for their failure in commissioning the much needed receiving station.

The protesting residents said that although the Mulgam receiving station had been completed two years back, there is considerable delay in its commission which is unfair for the local residents here.

“We don’t understand why this receiving station has not been commissioned yet,’’ said Fayaz Ahmad, a local resident. “In the absence of its commissioning, the entire area spread over more than six villages is facing electricity issues,” added Farooq.

Another resident, while expressing his anger, said that although the present dispensation is keen to complete its developmental projects, however, this particular project of power receiving station, despite being completed, is waiting for its commissioning.

“In past we were told that with the commissioning of this receiving station there will be considerable improvement in the electricity distribution. However, despite the passing of two years, the residents of the over six villages here are struggling with the erratic power. The delay is unrealistic and shows authorities are not bothered over the huge amount spent on its construction,” said Muhammad Shafi, another protesting resident.

Meanwhile, an official of the KPDCL said that “we are waiting for the safety clearance from the TTIC wing of the department.” He said earlier an inspection of the receiving station was done by the concerned department, however, the inspection team highlighted some shortcomings and suggested further improvement.

“After fixing the weak points, a fresh inspection was carried out by the officials of the concerned department recently. We are waiting for a fresh safety clearance report. It will be commissioned once we get the safety clearance report,’’ he said.