Palampur: 3 yrs on, power substation still non-operational
Ravinder Sood
Palampur, September 5
A 33 KV power substation set up at a cost of around Rs 3 crore by the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board (HPSEB) on the outskirts of Palampur town three years ago is yet to be made operational. It has allegedly been bogged down due to red tape.
Shortage of technical staff
The substation could not be made operational due to the shortage of technical staff. Our office has sent a number of letters to the higher authorities in this regard, but to no avail.
Ajay Gautam, Chief Engineer, HPSEB, Dharamsala
Former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur had inaugurated the substation before the Assembly elections last year without a power supply connection for its equipment.
According to information gathered by The Tribune, the HPSEB had set up this power substation under the Central Government-funded Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Jyoti Yojana, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched for the electrification of rural India. The Union Government had allocated Rs 3 crore for the project.
A private agency completed the construction of the substation as per schedule and handed it over to the HPSEB three years ago. However, the HPSEB could not make it operational and it is at present lying locked.
Manoj Upreti, Director (Operations), HPSEB, Shimla, who looks after the functioning of power substations in the state, was not available for comments.
However, Ajay Gautam, Chief Engineer, HPSEB north zone, Dharamsala, said, “The substation could not be made operational due to the shortage of technical staff.” He added that his office had sent a number of letters to the higher authorities in this regard seeking approval for the recruitment of technical staff, but to no avail.
