Overview
- Lt. Governor V.K. Saxena instructed agencies on Friday to finish three flagship transmission projects by September 15 so grid power can reach Siachen Base Camp and other remote sites before winter sets in.
- The package includes a 189‑km 220 kV Drass–Padum line, a 79‑km 220 kV Phyang–Disket line and associated works and substations under the Prime Minister’s Development Package with a sanctioned cost of about Rs 1,925 crore.
- Planned distribution works call for four substations across Zanskar, two substations servicing Siachen Base Camp and Partapur in Nubra, and eight proposed 66 kV substations across Changthang to enable last‑mile supply.
- Officials say the grid links will replace diesel generators, provide round‑the‑clock electricity for healthcare, education, tourism and army operations, and reduce the Union Territory’s carbon footprint.
- Construction faces high‑altitude limits such as short working seasons and extreme weather, so agencies have been ordered to fast‑track logistics and coordination to meet the mid‑September completion target.