The Union power ministry has re-designated the 220kV Srinagar-Drass-Kargil-Khaltsi-Leh transmission scheme as part of the interstate transmission system (ISTS). With the result, the system has been transferred to Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL).
The Srinagar-Drass-Kargil-Khaltsi-Leh transmission scheme was executed by PGCIL on consultancy basis under the Prime Minister’s Reconstruction Programme (PMRP). The project was owned by Jammu & Kashmir Power Development Department.
However, following the reorganization of the erstwhile state of Jammu & Kashmir into two Union territories – Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, the transmission system has been re-designated as an ISTS scheme and transferred to PGCIL.
It may be recalled that on February 3, 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the 220kV Srinagar-Alusteng-Drass-Kargil-Leh power transmission system to the nation. This was a defining moment in the history of India as the topographically challenged Ladakh region in Jammu & Kashmir, after over 70 years of Independence, got connected to the National Grid.
(Featured photograph for illustration only)