Work to shift power line away from housing colony starts after decade

Bijendra Ahlawat

Faridabad, July 2

Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam Limited (HVPNL) has started the work of shifting a high-tension (HT) power line from the residential area of Sector 3 here.

‘Wait for budget, admn nod behind delay’

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• The unavailability of material, delay in the release of budget and administrative approval have been major factors delaying the work.
• The project had received administrative approval 47 months ago, while the HSVP had released Rs 41.10 lakh funds to the Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam Limited in March 2022. Yet, the work could only be launched last week.
• Owing to similar problems in over 200 locations across Faridabad circle, work is yet to begin at a majority of the spots.

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Power lines carrying load below 33 kV have already been removed from three of the 49 vulnerable spots and work on the remaining locations will be taken up soon. — Naresh Kakkar, Superintending Engineer, DHBVN

The work has finally begun 10 years after the demand was raised by area residents in 2013-14 as they were facing the threat of electrocution.

The department has started the work of removing 66 KV overhead lines from the Housing Board Colony in Sector 3 and is likely to finish work this week, as per sources in the power department.

“The delay in the removal of HT power lines has led to several protests in the past five years,” says Rattan Lal, a member of the resident welfare federation of the colony.

The latest protest was staged last month after a 30-year-old labourer got seriously injured after coming in contact with the HT line while working in a house here on June 8.

It is revealed that the Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) had carved the colony in 1990s under the HT lines. The overhead cables have resulted in many incidents of electrocution leading to death of at least 12 persons. Several people have complained that electrical equipment in their houses were also getting damaged.

The unavailability of material, delay in the release of budget and administrative approval are reported to be major factors delaying the work, claim sources in the power department.

However, it is worth mentioning that the project had received administrative approval 47 months ago, while the HSVP had released Rs 41.10 lakh funds to the HVPNL in March 2022. Yet, the work could only be launched last week. Owing to similar problems in over 200 locations across Faridabad circle, work is yet to begin at the majority of the spots, the sources add.

HVPNL Executive Engineer Deepak Garg said while the work had been started, cooperation from residents and the local police would help in expediting the work.

Meanwhile, the power department is also working on shifting power lines carrying load below 33 kV, which is done by the Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN).

Naresh Kakkar, Superintending Engineer, DHBVN, said such power lines had already been removed from three of the 49 vulnerable spots and work on the remaining locations would be taken up soon.