Jammu Kashmir Engineers Call for Measurable Action on Energy Savings | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: Engineers and policymakers on Sunday called for translating energy conservation awareness into measurable outcomes, warning that unchecked technical and commercial losses could undermine both power availability and sustainable development in Jammu and Kashmir.

The message emerged from a one-day technical seminar, “Save Energy, Sustain the Future”, organised by The Institution of Engineers (India), Jammu and Kashmir State Centre, to mark National Energy Conservation Day. The seminar brought together engineers, academics, administrators, students, and professionals to deliberate on practical strategies for reducing energy consumption without slowing developmental momentum.

Speakers across the technical sessions emphasised the urgency of implementing systematic energy conservation throughout the entire power value chain, from generation and transmission to distribution and end-use. They pointed to gaps in design and execution, inadequate preventive maintenance, and delayed adoption of energy-efficient technologies as major contributors to losses. Several experts stressed that engineers have a critical role not only in infrastructure planning and supervision, but also in influencing consumer behaviour through informed, efficiency-oriented design choices.

Presentations were made by faculty members and serving and former engineers from institutions including SSM College of Engineering, NIT Srinagar, the Jammu and Kashmir Power Development Department and the Public Works Department, alongside industry professionals working outside the region. The discussions emphasised aligning global best practices with local conditions, strengthening institutional accountability, and ensuring that infrastructure expansion remains consistent with long-term sustainability goals.

Addressing the closing session, Chief Engineer JKPTCL (Kashmir) M. Aaquib Sultana Waheed Deva highlighted the operational challenges faced in power transmission and stressed the need for coordinated efforts among utilities, engineers and policymakers to improve efficiency and reliability.

Chief Guest Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, IAS, Secretary to the Government, Science and Technology Department, said that energy conservation must move beyond symbolic observances and urged institutions and professional bodies to convert awareness into quantifiable action. He assured support from the department for future collaborations with the Institution of Engineers (India), aimed at strengthening public service delivery and technological advancement.

Earlier, IEI-JKSC chairman Er. Ferdous Ahad Bhat said energy conservation should be seen as an enabler of sustainable growth rather than a constraint on development, while honorary secretary Er. Irfan Ahmad Reshi described it as a professional and ethical responsibility for engineers. The seminar concluded with an interactive question-and-answer session and a felicitation ceremony.