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No pilferage, 2 Hisar villages get power boost
Sushil Manav
Tribune News Service

Chirod (Hisar), April 6
It’s ‘power happy’ times for Chirod and Singhran villages of Hisar. The twin villages have been rewarded by the Haryana Government for curtailing power thefts and would now get supply on urban mode for 22- 24 hours a day.

Deepender Singh Hooda, Rohtak MP, inaugurated the new system of power supply at Chirod village on Saturday. Under a new scheme introduced by the state government, villagers are required to decrease the aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses to less than 25% to get power supply on urban mode. Power officials say ATC losses happen mainly due to two reasons: Line losses and pilferage.

In an obvious reference to Indian National Lok Dal leader Om Prakash Chautala, Hooda Junior said there was a time when political leaders used to tell farmers not to pay their electricity bills and made false promises that they would waive these later. “After coming to power, these leaders forced the farmers to even pay the arrears,” he claimed. Deepender said “Chautala’s act of deception led to violent agitations by farmers at Kandela and Gulbani.”

After taking over the reins in 2005, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda took certain steps to improve the power scenario in the state, said the MP. “Our government waived power bills of farmers to the tune of Rs 1,600 crore, which, in fact, was a promise made by Chautalas,” said Deepender.

“The government, however, told the farmers that power could not be supplied free of cost forever. People responded in a positive manner and the result is there for everyone to see. After Chirod and Singhran, many other villages are coming forward to opt for power supply on urban mode,” he said.

Deepender said apart from taking steps to improve the power supply, the government was also focusing on generating more electricity.

“The present government has set up four thermal power plants at Jharli, Khanpur, Yamunanagar and Khedar,” he said.

The young MP said the government was taking steps to set up 2800 MW nuclear power plant at Gorakhpur in Fatehabad, but the INLD, the HJC and the BJP were opposing the move.

Congress MLA Sampat Singh, in whose Nalwa Assembly segment Chirod and Singhran villages fall, said the two villages have become a role model for the rest of the state.

To get 22-24 hr supply

• Chirod and Singhran villages of Hisar rewarded by the Haryana Government for curtailing power thefts
• The two villages would now get supply on urban mode for 22- 24 hours a day