Srinagar October 12:(KNS) Congress leader Kadfeen Choudhary on Monday slammed the government its utter failure in implementing the power reformation schemes in Jammu and Kashm, stating that such an approach is leaving people in distress even ahead of the peak winter season.

Kadfeen in a statement to KNS, said that Restructured Accelerated Power Development and Reforms Programme (R-APDRP) was ought to be completed in March last year but till date, the scheme which would have curtailed the Transmission and Distribution Losses, is nowhere existent on the ground.

Kadfeen said that the project was scheduled to be implemented in two phases, covering the entire state. For the first phase of the project, the Central government had sanctioned Rs.151.99 crores under R-APDRP while an amount of Rs.1665.27 crores had been approved for the second phase of this vital project.

Kadfeen said that for the first phase of the project, the Central government had sanctioned Rs.151.99 crores under R-APDRP while an amount of Rs.1665.27 crores had been approved for the second phase of this vital project. “The second phase was supposed to cover two main cities including Jammu and Srinagar for which the funds estimated at the cost of Rs. 52,89 crores have been approved. These schemes were proposed to be taken up under National Electricity Fund for which Rural Electrification Corporation is the nodal agency. Under this scheme 30 towns have been identified as project areas in J&K state with a population of above 10,000 as per 2001 census. For this purpose, the government had already taken a pilot exercise and some 30 towns have been identified as project areas in J&K, another 283 towns with a population of over 4000 have also been identified that will be covered in the second phase. Phase -1 of 283 towns is to cost Rs. 171.61 crores and phase-2 will cost Rs. 1073.33 crores. These projects were proposed to be taken up under Phase-II of R-APDRP through a special dispensation which could not materialize,” Kadfeen said(KNS)