Shift HT power line from Housing Board colony: Locals

Faridabad, June 10

Locals have been raising concerns over the overhead presence of high-tension (HT) power lines in residential areas of Faridabad.

The Residents Welfare Association (RWA) of the Housing Board colony in Sector 3 staged a protest against the alleged delay in removing overhead HT power line passing through their colony. They also gheraoed the office of the Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam Limited (HVPNL) in Sector 18 for over an hour.

Holding the department responsible for mishaps caused due to these electricity cables during the past decade, the RWA claimed that a resident had been battling for life in a hospital following a recent incident of electrocution.

The protesters accused the HVPNL of failing to address the problem despite the serious threat to the lives of hundreds of residents in the area.

Sector 3 RWA president Subhash Lamba said, “Around 12 persons have died and several injured in electrocution incidents in the past 10 to 12 years in this colony as the authorities have failed to remove the dangerous line from the area.”

Even as a 30-year-old labourer got seriously burnt in a similar incident on Saturday, officials appear to be unaffected, he said.

It is claimed that the Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran had already released Rs 42 lakh for the work of shifting HT power line. But the department had been resorting to various excuses, including the lack of material, and had failed to shift the 66 KV line even after two years of approval, alleged residents.

Also, it was claimed that electrocution incidents had resulted in damaging electrical equipment and gadgets worth several lakh rupees.

In February, officials had given an assurance to shift the power line within a week, but the department has failed to materialize it so far.

The RWA president said the June 8 incident could have been averted if the line had been shifted in time. The protesters threatened to step up the stir if the matter was not resolved soon.

HVPNL Executive Engineer Deepak Garg said while work of shifting the line had been underway, it was likely to be completed as soon as the material for three towers, which are to be installed, was received.

“Connecting power lines to new towers could take four to five days and requires switching off the supply for several hours per day. We were trying to avoid it in view of the need for uninterrupted power supply during hot weather conditions prevalent at present,” he said.