RAWLAKOT (Kashmir English): An agreement has been reachedafter the successful negotiations between the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) and the Poonch administration.
The members of the Action Committee held talks with the Poonch administration, the Electricity Department, and the Joint Committee of WAPDA.
The JAAC held protests and sit-ins regarding the electricity load shedding and other issues in the Poonch division.
As per the agreement, it was decided that load shedding will be done for 3 to 4 hours in urban areas until the complete installation and functioning of the tower by December 22, 2025, while the load shedding period in rural areas will be 15 to 16 hours, the schedule of which will be issued.
Any technical fault will be exempted, while after the installation and functioning of the tower, the area will be exempted from load shedding to the extent possible from December 22, 2025, and no load shedding will be done.
Under the agreement, the work of upgrading the Ming Grid Station has been started by sorting out the issues.
The grid section Palandri has been upgraded from 10/13 to 20/26 under the agreement.
The capacity of the Rawalakot grid section has been increased from 180 to 360, while the capacity of the remaining 03 feeders will be changed to meet the needs.
Approval has been given for the installation of 2 more feeders on the Rawalakot grid, after which 2 new feeders will be installed.
Supply of transformers under Reclaim has started in all the sub-divisions of the Electricity Department.
Under the agreement, the official rates of the meter will be displayed in prominent places of the offices within 5 days and will be advertised by the department through social media.
The department will provide transformers and other equipment on a fair basis based on absolute need in exchange for the Rs 10 billion grant provided by the federal government.
According to the agreement, the complaint of illegal collection of money from the public for the repair of transformers will be completely remedied and the department itself will bear the entire cost of repairing the transformer.
The office of the Chief Electrical Engineer will be fully functional, and the recruitment of employees of the Electrical Department will be carried out under the Third Party Act.
It has been agreed in the agreement that small traders and shopkeepers will be exempted from commercial notices in the name of the load.
The agreement assures practical steps at the level of the Food Department to redress complaints regarding the quality of flour.
Mobile towers have been directed to be shifted to battery-powered ones, after which mobile service will improve.
The agreement was signed by Deputy Commissioner Poonch, the xen officer, and other relevant authorities.
