Villagers protest ‘illegal’ installation of power lines

PALAMPUR: Residents of more than 10 villages of Kangra and Hamirpur district have lodged a strong protest against the installation of transmission lines on their land by Himachal Pradesh Power Transmission Corporation Limited (HPPTCL) and Skipper Ltd.

Our Correspondent

Palampur, November 24

Residents of more than 10 villages of Kangra and Hamirpur district have lodged a strong protest against the installation of transmission lines on their land by Himachal Pradesh Power Transmission Corporation Limited (HPPTCL) and Skipper Ltd.

They have formed a sangharsh samiti to seek compensation for their land, which they allege has been illegally acquired to install high voltage transmission lines between Dehan Patti and Hamirpur. They have decided to move the High Court in this regard.

Ram Singh, Vijay Kumar, Mohan Lal and several other villagers said their consent was not obtained by the company before installing the transmission lines and their land had been legally acquired. Besides, hundreds of trees were axed, said the villagers.

They alleged that the company did not make a roadmap before the installation of towers on private land. “Before laying the transmission lines, the company didn’t go in for proper acquisition process and the government department concerned didn’t take cognisance of the illegal process opted by the company despite our repeated complaints to the police, SDM and other district authorities,” they said.

The illegal acts of the company would not only endanger the flora and fauna in the vicinity, but would also adversely impact people’s health. “Hundreds of kanals have gone barren in the process of paving the way for the movement of heavy machinery,” they alleged.

A spokesman of the HPPTCL said they had obtained special permission from the Kangra Deputy Commissioner (DC) for the installation of transmission lines on private land. He said it was a legal order and had not been challenged by villagers in the High Court so far, therefore no one could stop the project.

Meanwhile, the DC has constituted an inquiry committee headed by a magistrate on the complaints of villagers. He has asked the affected people to lodge their grievances before the committee at his office in Dharamsala on November 27.