Date:08/09/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/09/08/stories/2007090853990400.htm

New Delhi

High-tension wires give tension to Govt.

Smriti Kak Ramachandran

Fears a flood of requests from residents of deemed-to-be-authorised areas to shift such wires

NEW DELHI: The Government departments gearing up to provide water, electricity, sewerage and roads to a sizeable populace that inhabits the Capital’s unauthorised colonies are running into logistical impediments.

The Power Department, for instance, is worried about the houses and other structures that have come up perilously close to high-tension wires. The department, anticipating a flood of requests from colonies and individuals in these deemed-to-be-authorised areas to “shift high tension wires”, has already begun drafting a policy to tackle the issue.

Dangerously close

“There are a lot of colonies where 11kV or 33 kV transmission lines are spread all over and dangerously close to the residential premises, schools and medical centres. As per rules, no construction should be allowed to come up within 15 metres of the wires on both sides. But in these unauthorised colonies houses and other structures have come up close to the high-tension wires,” said Principal Secretary (Power) Rakesh Mehta.

“When these colonies are regularised there may be requests for shifting the wires, which is a cumbersome and expensive exercise. We are now looking at drafting a policy that will spell the details of how this will be done and who will bear the cost,” he said.

Who will bear the expenses incurred on moving the high tension wires will be specified in the policy. “Individuals cannot afford to pay for the transfer of these wires, the discoms will not be willing to foot the entire bill. If the discoms pay for the exercise and then show it as part of their expenditure in the Aggregate Revenue Requirement (ARR), their petitions may be turned down, because the consumers cannot be taxed for a problem that is limited to a few,” said sources in the department.

While the department does not have any data on how many places have transmission lines running close to dwellings, the problem sources said is predominant in the rural areas.

Handy policy

“There are several 20-Point Programme plots that have a network of wires crisscrossing over residential units or close to schools. Even though unauthorised colonies are currently not governed by the rules that pertain to shifting of transmission wires once the process of regularisation commences, the policy will come in handy to clarify the procedure,” sources said.