JOIN USVillagers stop UPCL-Hassan electricity line work
The villagers of Padubidri on Monday stopped the electricity line laying work, which is the part of 400 KV electricity supply project from UPCL to Hassan. The KPTCL which had stopped the work for a few days restarted the work on Monday under tight police security.
As the work began, the villagers led by Nandikur Janajagruti Samiti Secretary Jayanth Kumar arrived at the spot and opposed the work. When the workers came forward to pull the electricity wire using tractor, the villagers stopped it and demanded stopping of illegal work.
Jayanth Kumar said that as the licence issued by the Deputy Commissioner grants permission to lay electricity wire from Nandikur to Hassan, the wire should not be laid in Yellur Gram Panchayat limits, till Yellur GP permits the same.
Responding to this, KPTCL Superintendent Engineer Govind Rao and Executive Engineer PDB Rao said that the Deputy Commissioner has given permission to lay the wire based on which the construction work has started. The work of laying 180 km long wire from Shantipura in Hassan to UPCL is going on and they have already finished 90 per cent of the work.
The work is pending in three to four places including Nandikur-Yellur road. The Panchayat permission is required in only those places where the wire passes through forest land. Speaking to Deccan Herald PDB Rao informed that they had met the DC and have obtained permission for the work in Yellur.
The technical problem is hindering the pace of the project work. The UPCL project which was supposed to start at Nandikur in Palimar Gram Panchayat has been started in Yellur despite the project order which mentions Nandikur as the construction work place. The same confusion prevailed in the work site even on Monday.
The Environment Department had given permission to the KPTCL to lay the electricity line from Nandikur to Shantigram village. But as the project is taking place in Yellur the electricity line needs to be laid from Yellur to Shantigram. This is the reason why the villagers protested against the proposed work.
The work resumed on Monday only after the KPTCL officers brought the written statement from the Deputy Commissioner granting permission for the work. However, Jayanth Kumar said that he would question the DC’s order at the Supreme Court as it is the violation of the project plan. Yellur GP President Sumana, ZP member Arun Shetty and others were part of the protest.