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Raje’s bid to connect rural areas with power reforms

JAIPUR: In a bid to connect rural areas vigorously with the ongoing power sector reforms, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje will address a conference of Sarpanches here on October 1 to initiate a “direct dialogue” with them on the change in the quality of life in villages brought about by the feeder renovation programme.

Sarpanches of nearly 1,000 villages where power feeders were renovated to supply round-the-clock electricity have been invited to the conference. They will share their experiences with Ms. Raje on the positive outcome of availability of power for the rural households and farming activities.

The 1,000 feeders, renovated by the public sector Jaipur Vidyut Vitaran Nigam (JVVN), are situated in the villages where the transmission and distribution losses were to the tune of 60 to 70 per cent. Nigam’s Chairman and Managing Director R.G. Gupta told reporters here on Sunday that T&D losses were reduced to 15 per cent, making it possible to provide 24-hour power supply to these villages.

Mr. Gupta said the Sarpanches’ conference would help speed up the feeder renovation programme and involve more panchayats in the drive, besides generating awareness among the elected representatives of Panchayati Raj institutions about saving electricity and its potential for rural development.

As many as 5,005 villages falling in the jurisdiction of JVVN are getting electricity round the clock as in August this year, with the maximum number of 849 villages situated in Jhalawar district and 809 in Jaipur. Mr. Gupta said the JVVN had set the target of supplying 24-hour power to 13,000 villages till March 2008, while half of the target would be achieved by this month-end.

The JVVN, which spent Rs.550 crore on renovating 1,000 power feeders, now intends to rectify the remaining 1,300 feeders at an additional expenditure of Rs.650 crore. The T&D losses, which reduced by 4.25 per cent last year, have registered 5 per cent decline this year.

Mr. Gupta said the JVVN saved Rs.320 crore as a result of reduction in T&D losses, which also led to a total end to load shedding in the cities during summer this year. The availability of constant and better quality of electricity has also improved social, educational an economic scenario in the villages.

The JVVN chief affirmed that the technical separation of domestic and agricultural circuits in the rural areas had led to a significant improvement in the power supply, avoiding heavy load during the peak hours of consumption.

Referring to the vigilance activities to control theft of power, Mr. Gupta said special drives launched in Bharatpur-Dholpur region as well as in several towns had resulted in 27,071 such cases registered during the first four months of the current financial year, against 15,837 cases registered during the entire 2006-07.

The Rajiv Gandhi Rural Electrification Programme undertaken in Kota, Jhalawar, Bundi, Dausa and Alwar districts has yielded positive results with a large number of domestic connections being released. Mr. Gupta said the JVVN would release as many as 13,000 power connections to farmers this year.

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