Project to power Army, far-flung villages

The central government has approved intra-state transmission works at a revised cost of Rs 1,309.71 crore to link far-flung villages of Ladakh to the grid and phase out diesel generator sets towards achieving carbon neutrality in the union territory, a top official said on Saturday.

The project on completion would also provide the Army and the far-flung villages with clean power round the clock. The cost of the projects has been revised from Rs 354.74 crore to Rs 1,309.71 crore by the Central Electricity Authority.

Congratulating the people of Ladakh on the approval of the project, Lt Governor RK Mathur said the intra-state transmission works had been sanctioned by the Union Ministry of Power. He expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Power Minister RK Singh.

Secretary Power, UT Ladakh, Ravinder Kumar said the projects were part of the Prime Ministers Development Package (PMDP), 2015, which could not be taken up then due to various issues.

“However, due to the painstaking efforts of the Lt Governor, his administration and public representatives, it is now approved,” Kumar said.

He said REC Transmission Projects Company Limited was the project implementing agency for executing the transmission works in Ladakh, while Power Grid Corporation India Limited was the project management agency.

“The transmission lines will link far-flung villages to the grid and phase out diesel generator sets used in far-flung villages, thus taking one more step towards achieving carbon neutrality in Ladakh. This will also provide the Army and far-flung villages with clean power round the clock,” he noted. — PTI

Courtesy: The Tribune: 29th May, 2021