ITANAGAR, 11 Jun: Deputy Chief Minister and the minister-in-charge of power, Chowna Mein said that “the government will fully revamp the power department, which has been overdue for the last many years.” The DCM said this while reviewing the activities of the power department of the state government at the DK Convention Centre here on Wednesday.
“With a view to developing a robust sub-transmission and distribution system in urban and high-density areas and to extend electricity access to newly created districts and remote rural habitations, the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive State Power Development Program has been announced in this year’s Budget 2025 with an allocation of Rs. 2000 Cr, which will be implemented in four years’ time,” the DCM said.
He urged the department to establish connectivity for mini-hydroelectric plants to facilitate integration of local power generation into the grid and to minimize AT&C losses below 15%.
He further urged the department to come up with safety guidelines and to ensure that every lineman and electric fitter abides by the safety measures in order to prevent any kind of casualties while discharging their duties.
Mein said that the power department has come a long way in the last 33 years since it was separated from CPWD in the year 1992. “However, with the growing number of consumers due to the increased population over the years, the requirement for power has grown,” the DCM said.
“There is an urgent need to restructure the department to cope with the growing number of consumers,” the DCM said and added that the department has to function effectively and needs to augment the transmission system, strengthen distribution infrastructure, and address residual gaps from the comprehensive schemes and RDSS for ensuring a seamless power supply.
After giving a patient hearing to the grievances from the officers of the department, the DCM urged the department to come up with a restructured proposal which will be placed before the Cabinet for approval. He further announced to provide a utility vehicle to every division of the power department.
During the meeting, the activities under APEDA, the IT division of the power department, power supply-related issues in the circles and divisions, and service connections to industrialists were also discussed.
Secretary (power) R.K. Sharma; advisor to DCM Captain Anupam Tangu; chief engineer (transmission) T.K. Tara; chief engineer (central zone) Ginko Lingi; chief engineer (commercial) Duyu Taso; APEDA director Marbom Bam; OSD to DCM Tseng Tsing Mein; superintending engineers and executive engineers were present during the meeting. (DCM’s PR cell)
