JORHAT, Dec 5 - State Assembly Speaker and Jorhat MLA Hitendra Nath Goswami today said that Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL) has undertaken an initiative to improve power connectivity in areas under both Jorhat and Dergaon constituencies.
Goswami, while addressing mediapersons here today, said that the APDCL has sanctioned Rs 30 crore to lay new cables and posts to cover areas where electricity supply was not available and also improve the quality of electricity supply to the consumers in other areas, where there were complaints of low voltage and frequent power breakdown.
The Speaker said that under the initiative, 118 villages within the two electrical divisions of Jorhat Electrical Circle of the APDCL will be covered. He said the 118 villages spread over Jorhat and Dergaon constituencies will have 100 per cent access to power supply.
Stating that the plan has been initiated after carrying out a survey, Goswami said that within a year the target was expected to be achieved.
He said as tendering has been done and work order also has been issued to a private firm, the work in this regard is expected to be started soon. Goswami said work will be done under two Central schemes � Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana and Integrated Power Development Scheme.
The Speaker said that under the initiative, 15 high power transformers of 250 KVA capacity and 40 transformers 100 KVA capacity will be installed in rural and urban areas as well to improve the quality of electricity supply in areas where there have been complaints of frequent disruptions in the electricity supply due to old or inferior quality infrastructure.
He said as per the survey reports, 77 villages out of the 118 villages to be covered for total electrification, have been selected for providing Aerial Bunch Conductor cables to prevent possible power theft. Goswami said a monitoring committee, headed by him, has been constituted to supervise the implementation of the APDCL initiative. The local MLA said that noted citizens have been appointed as members of the committee comprising APDCL and district administration officials.
He said retired APDCL assistant general manager under Jorhat Electrical Circle Nalin Borthakur and his personal representative Dr Paran Baruah, a retired scientist of the CSIR-NEIST, Jorhat, too are in the committee.
Goswami said that the State government has given administrative approval to the Rs 200-crore development package for Jorhat, which was announced earlier this year. The Speaker said that beautification of existing parks of the town and installing solar energy system to provide power supply will be part of the package.
The Speaker said that the Centre has sanctioned the construction of a three-lane flyover at Na-Ali railway gate area and funding (Rs 50 crore) for the project will be under the Non-Lapsable Central Pool of Resources head. However, the State government will have to bear about Rs 25 crore to acquire plot of land needed to widen the existing road and to construct the approach patches to the flyover.
He said the roads in bad condition in his constituency were being repaired and reconstructed by the PWD.
Goswami expressed concern over prevailing traffic management system and the law-order-situation here, and said he will apprise the government to take necessary corrective steps in this regard.
