Omar chairs Consultative Committee meeting

SRINAGAR, (KMW News): Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Wednesday while chairing the meeting of Consultative Committee for the Departments under his charge suggested identification of subjects in each departments and flagging these for deliberation and discussion in depth in the next meeting to make meetings of the Consultative Committee more purposeful and meaningful.
“This is also the practice in the Parliament”, he said adding that such deliberations prove result-oriented and beneficial for improving and upgrading various functions of the departments besides highlighting issues of greater public importance for urgent focusing.
The meeting was attended by Minister of State for Home, Sajjad Ahmad Kitchloo, Minister of State for Power, Viqar Rasool, Legislator, Ajat Shatru Singh, Chief Secretary, Mohammad Iqbal Khandey, Principal Secretaries Sonali Kumar, B. B. Vyas, Suresh Kumar, Director General Prisons, K. Rajindra, various Commissioner Secretaries, Heads of the Departments and senior officers.
It was stated in the brief presented in the meeting that there has been decline in percentage of terrorist related violence by 36 percent during the year 2012 as compared to the year 2011. As many as, 54 static bunkers have been removed in public places in Srinagar and various government and private buildings vacated and restored for their original purposes.
Under the Amnesty Scheme devised for youth involved in stone-pelting, the orders to the withdrawal of 196 cases involving 1432 persons have been issued by the government. 86 percent of the 184330 cases received during last three years for issuance passport have been cleared till March 14, 2013. The Draft Jammu and Kashmir Police Bill 2013 has been uploaded on the official website of the department in the last week of January 2013 for inviting suggestions from the public.
The Consultative Committee was told that the government has drawn plans for harnessing additional 9000 MWs of power during 12th and 13th Five Year Plan. It was stated that by 2016 another 450 MWs will be put into the system through Baglihar-II. As many as 13 projects of 712 MWs have been awarded and approved for allotment in 2012-13.
The meeting was told that the spending on power purchase has swelled to Rs. 3668.50 crores in 2012-13 as against Rs. 1590.76 crores in 2007-08. Completion of RGGVY Phase-II has been targeted for 2013-14 while unbundling with registration of Discoms and Filling of all positions in the companies is under the process of completion.
The Chief Minister said that there is huge gap between the cost government purchases power and it sells to the consumers. “In a way the government provides subsidy to the people on supply of electricity in the State which is cheapest in the country after Sikkim”, he added.
The meeting also discussed issued relating to the Hospitality and Protocol, Civil Aviation and Information Department.