Suhail Khan
JAMMU, Feb 20: The Jammu and Kashmir government will fill over 30,000 vacancies in various departments this year, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah announced in the Legislative Assembly on Friday.
Replying to questions during the ongoing Budget Session, CM Omar Abdullah as per Kashmir Convener stated that institutional mechanisms are in place for the periodic assessment of vacancies and their timely referral to recruiting agencies.
The vacancies have arisen due to retirements, promotions, resignations, and other administrative reasons, he said in response to a query from Prof. Gharu Ram Bhagat.
The government has adopted measures, including the advance identification of vacancies and the streamlining of procedural requirements, to ensure essential services remain unaffected, the Chief Minister added.
In a separate reply, CM Abdullah informed the House that electricity tariffs have not been revised since December 2023. He said billing in metered areas is based on actual consumption, while non-metered areas are billed on a flat-rate basis according to the agreed load.
Replying to a supplementary question from Dr. Bashir Ahmad Shah Veeri, the Chief Minister said tariff determination falls under the domain of the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) and is fixed according to its parameters. He clarified that Aggregate Technical and Commercial (AT&C) losses are not passed on to consumers.
On tourism, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the government has completed three tourism projects in the Ramgarh constituency, with another underway, at a total cost of ₹307.12 lakh under the Capex Budget.
Replying to a question from Dr. Devinder Kumar Manyal, which was raised on his behalf by Surjeet Singh Slathia, Abdullah stated that new projects for Ramgarh will be considered for 2026-27, subject to feasibility and fund availability.
In a related reply, the Chief Minister, who also holds the Tourism portfolio, informed the House that development works worth ₹123.41 lakh at Sidh Goria Temple, including beautification, parking, and a pond, have been physically completed. A ₹100.00 lakh project at Baba Chamlyal Shrine, comprising flooring and pathways, has also been finished.
The development of other religious sites, including Ganga Mata Temple, will be considered in the future, subject to approvals, he said.
On power infrastructure, the Chief Minister said work on a 6.3 MVA Receiving Station at Qamar (Dudwagan) is underway to ensure a reliable power supply to the Upper Kapran belt, with commissioning expected by June 2026, subject to the saturation of smart metering.
Replying to a query from Nizamuddin Bhat on behalf of MLA Dooru G.A. Mir, Abdullah said power supply to the area is currently being maintained from the Receiving Station at Nowgam Chowgund.
He informed the House that against a revised cost of ₹427.63 lakh, a cumulative expenditure of ₹293.44 lakh has been incurred so far. The commissioning has been delayed mainly due to Right of Way (RoW) issues encountered during the installation of the 33 kV line and the laying of 11 kV feeders.
An amount of ₹85.00 lakh was earmarked for the project in the current financial year, out of which ₹72.25 lakh has been released and fully utilised, he added.
