Una, Kangra industrialists resent power diversion for domestic use
Lalit Mohan
Dharamsala, May 1
Industrialists have resented the diversion of load sanctioned for industrial areas in the state to residential areas. The industrial associations of Una and Kangra districts have written to the Industries Department on the issue of irregular power supply in their respective areas.
Sources say the department has further written to HP State Electricity Board Limited (HPSEBL) on the issue.
No specific report
Ajay Gautam, HPSEBL Chief Engineer, says he can take action if there is a specific report from the Industries Department regarding the diversion of load sanctioned for industrial areas to domestic consumers.
The Industries Department deposits money with the Power Department for the installation of transformers whenever a new industrial area comes up. Initially, when there were fewer industries, the power demand was also less. HPSEBL officials generally transfer the load sanctioned for industrial areas to nearby residential areas. When more units come up, there is generally a shortage of quality power for industrial areas, says an official of the department.
Rakesh Kaushal, president of the Tahliwal industrial area of Una, the second biggest industrial area in the state, says many industrial units in the region are facing problems as domestic power connections are connected to transformers meant for the industrial areas. This is creating problems. Whenever there is a shutdown in domestic areas, the industry also faces a power cut, leading to significant losses.
Ajay Gautam, Chief Engineer, HPSEBL, says he can take action if there is a specific report from the Industries Department regarding the diversion of its sanctioned load to domestic consumers.
Besides, the Irrigation and Public Health (IPH) Department has also reportedly taken up the issue of diversion of water supply load to domestic consumers. In areas along the Pong Dam, IPH officials complain that due to the diversion of load from their transformers to domestic consumers, they face difficulties in running heavy motors during peak hours.
