Kangra: Locals irked at closure of electrical circle office

Rajiv Mahajan

Nurpur, January 12

The denotification and closure of the electrical operation circle office here has annoyed residents in lower Kangra district. They had started getting power load sanctioned on their doorstep.

Residents allege that the sudden closure of the office was done without reviewing its justification. The demand to restart it has started gaining momentum.

Inquiries reveal that the circle office was duly approved by the management of Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Limited (HPSEBL). A notification was issued in that regard on July 12 last year after undertaking a nine-month exercise to examine its need and viability. The proposal was initiated in October 2021.

The office was functioning from a building owned by the HPSEBL at Chogan locality. It was inaugurated by former Forest Minister Rakesh Pathania on September 29 last year.

Terming it as injustice with the people of lower Kangra district, Pathania said, “The HPSEBL had worked for nine months to explore the need and viability of that office at Nurpur. Its closure by the new government is a hasty and anti-people decision.”

The HPSEBL management had reportedly created 16 new posts to make the office functional. A superintendent engineer, one executive engineer (attached), one section officer, one office superintendent and one junior draftsman were posted there.

The HPSEBL spent lakhs of rupees on raising the office infrastructure. The commercial power consumers, who had started getting the facility of load approval here, are now being forced to travel 250-300 kms (to and fro) to get that work done at the Dalhousie circle office in Chamba district.