Determine agency for power infrastructure in industrial estates: FCIK writes to J&K CS

Srinagar, Dec 3: The Federation of Chambers of Industries Kashmir (FCIK) has written to the Chief Secretary (CS) for identifying and determining the agency for repairs, replacement and maintenance of the power distribution infrastructure in organised industrial estates across Kashmir valley.

In its letter to the CS, the apex industrial organisation of Kashmir has conveyed that the industrial units in organised estates have been put to tremendous inconvenience for internal controversy aroused between KPDCL and SICOP/SIDCO about responsibility of maintaining distribution transformers and other equipment in the estate upon each other.
Whereas KPDCL pleads that the responsibility for maintaining and repairing the damaged transformers and other equipment within organised industrial estates lied on the shoulders of SICOP and SIDCO for mere reason of managing these estates, both SICOP and SIDCO put the onus of maintenance on KPDCL which generally take up such repairs of equipment meant for their other consumers including industrial units in the unorganised sector.

The FCIK opined that the onus for maintenance and repairs even replacement of damaged electrical distribution equipment lied with KPDCL because the tariff for various categories of consumers including industrial units has been approved by JERC (J&K and Ladakh) after allowing components of expenditure on M&R. Further the fixed charges charged by KPDCL from industrial units had only been allowed for installation and maintenance of distribution equipment at the door steps of industrial units, suggests FCIK, adding that KPDCL also received annual budgetary allocation from the government for M&R which was not approved for industrial corporations.

However, the FCIK would not mind for whichever agency was made responsible for repairs and maintenance of power infrastructure within industrial estates. It is as such the organisation has sought the intervention of Chief Secretary to resolve the issue once and for all.