SRINAGAR: The Institution of Engineers (India), Jammu & Kashmir State Centre (IEI-JKSC) on Sunday observed National Energy Conservation Day by organising a one-day technical seminar themed “Save Energy, Sustain the Future”, focusing on practical strategies to reduce energy consumption while sustaining development.
The seminar brought together corporate and executive committee members of IEI, engineers, academicians, administrators, students and other professionals for expert deliberations on energy conservation across sectors.
The programme began with an introduction by Er. Irfan Ahmad Reshi, MIE, Honorary Secretary, IEI-JKSC, who underlined that energy conservation is not only a policy goal but also a professional and ethical responsibility of engineers. In his welcome address, Er. Ferdous Ahad Bhat, FIE, Chairman, IEI-JKSC, stressed that energy conservation must move beyond symbolic observances and translate into measurable outcomes at the planning, design and execution stages of engineering projects.
The technical session featured presentations by Dr. Rayees Ahmad Khan, Assistant Professor, SSM College of Engineering; Er. Aadil Hassan, Junior Engineer, JKPDD; Er. Tavqir Shafi, AMIE, Senior Design Engineer, Riyadh; Er. Malik Mudasar Nisar, MIE, Assistant Executive Engineer, Public Works (R&B) Department; Er. Bashir Ahmad Dar, AMIE, former Secretary (Technical), JKPDD; and Prof. (Dr.) Aijaz Ahmad, FIE, Department of Electrical Engineering, NIT Srinagar.
The speakers highlighted the need for systematic energy conservation across generation, transmission, distribution and end-use sectors. Issues such as technical and commercial losses, efficient design and execution, preventive maintenance, adoption of energy-efficient technologies and the role of engineers in influencing consumer behaviour were discussed. Emphasis was also laid on integrating global best practices with local conditions and aligning infrastructure development with sustainability goals. The session concluded with an interactive question-and-answer segment.
The closing session included an address by the Guest of Honour, Er. M. Aaquib Sultana Waheed Deva, FIE, Chief Engineer, JKPTCL (Kashmir), who spoke on operational challenges in power transmission and called for coordinated efforts among utilities, engineers and policymakers.
Chief Guest Dr. Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, IAS, Secretary, Science and Technology Department, J&K, urged institutions to convert awareness into measurable action and encouraged professional bodies to lead by example. He assured full support from the department for future collaborations with IEI.
The programme concluded with a felicitation ceremony and a vote of thanks by Er. Irfan Ahmad Reshi, who reiterated IEI-JKSC’s commitment to promoting responsible and sustainable engineering practices.
