IMPHAL, July 16: Even as the Government of India had prepared the National Electricity Policy (NEP) in February 2005 with a view to supplying reliable and quality power to all by 2012 recognizing the need for adequate and timely investment in the Transmission system, the development of a robust and Integrated power system through efficient and co-ordinate action and development of National and State Grid with the co-ordination of Central/State Transmission utilities; the people of the State have been deprived from such policy.
Despite the efforts of the Government of India to avail such policy in the State, it has been found that the Electricity Department, Government of Manipur has not taken up timely measures and arrangement to benefit from the plan chartered out by the Central Government.
According to reliable official report received by the IFP, the Department had completed construction of only two sub-stations against the plan for construction of five new/augmentation of existing 132/33 KV sub-stations and five transmission lines during 2007-12.
It stated that works on construction/augmentation of 132 KV and 33 KV sub-stations and transmission lines were delayed by 5 to 91 months due to delay in tendering activities, statutory clearances, frequent revisions of scope etc. Also, the department had procured tower materials which did not conform to standard norms.
The report further said that the department was able to meet only 62.96 percent of the system peak load during 2007-12 due to non-completion of 132 KV Jiribam-Leimatak Line, which was not restored even after ten years of its break down. None of the sub-stations had Remote Terminal Units/Sub-stations Management systems for monitoring ad recording real time data for efficient Energy Measurement system.
It added that Adequate Disaster Management facilities did not exist for block start operations. The Department did not have any material Management Policy. It had not fixed any standard minimum level or recorder level of material. Internal control mechanism was weak as instances of preparation of bills and drawing cheques in anticipation of delivery of equipment, passing of bills based on printed invoice of another project, in admissible payments etc were noticed in audit.
The Department did not complete the transmission projects planned for execution during the Five Year Plan 2007-12. The projects were not executed as per recommendation of the Task Force. The Department had not drawn its allotted power from NEG and facilities for Disaster Management was not adequate.
Even though the Principal Secretary/Commissioner (Power) is the overall in charge of the Department, Chief Engineer (Power) as Head of the Department looks after the day-to-day operations of the Department, the department consists of eight circles which are under the control of Chief Engineer/Additional Chief Engineer.
Each circle is further divided into divisions which are controlled by Superintending Engineers and for the operations relating to the transmission of electricity, the Chief Engineer is assisted by one Superintending Engineer (Transmission) (SE-T) at the circle level and five executive engineers (EE) at the division level.
It went on to say that during 2007-08, 509.62 MVs of Energy were transmitted by the Department which increase to 520.52 MVs during 2011-12 i.e. an increase of 2.14 percent. As on March 31, 2012, the Department had 406.210 Circuit Kilometer (ckm) of 132 KV transmission network and nine sub-stations at the same voltage level with installed capacity of 283.8 Mega Volt Ampere (MVA). The income of the Department from sale of Power and other sources was Rs 94.73 crores in 2011-12, which was equal to 0.89 percent of the State Gross Domestic product. The Department had 3,073 employees as on March, 2012.