SATISH HANDA
Over 150 Haryana State Electricity Board (HSEB) employees including Engineers, Junior Engineers and linemen involved in irregularities and corrupt practice have been charge-sheeted and show cause notices has been served to them and in case satisfactory reply will not be made by them they are likely to be suspended or their services will be terminated by the state government. Talking to media persons, Ranjit Chautala electricity minister in Haryana state said that these employees are involved in power theft cases or other regularities causing state government heavy revenue loss and will not be spared at any cost.
Chautala said, since past about seven years efforts for reforms in electricity department in the state are being made as such all four power supply corporations in the state are earning profits especiallysince past four years and proving a model all over in the country as announced by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman advised other states in the country to follow measures adopted by Haryana state government which is a proud for the state. Chautala said, there is a proposal to promote those officers working in HSEB providing suggestions to improve services and profitability in the department.
Chautala told that special schemes have been introduced to provide power connections in agriculture sector to achieve target to provide connections to nearly 1600 tube wells pending in the state since a long time immediately, besides another 40000 connections in the state by June 30, 2022. He said, a rebate of 37 paisa per unit electricity was given last year to provide relief in power tariff to consumers in the state, in-spite of this electricity companies earned profit worth over Rs 2000 crore in the year. Chautala admitted, nearly 16% electricity bills raised to consumers are usually found wrong for one reason or the other due to defect in meters or consumers premises found locked for which a special campaign has been introduced to correct such bills immediately and accept part payment towards the bill. Chautala disclosed that 24 hours regular electric supply in 5427 villages is being made in the state and efforts are being made to extend this facility to every village in the state under ‘Mahara Gaon Jagmag Gaon’ scheme.
Meanwhile, Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij expressed un-satisfaction over the working of nearly a dozen IPS officers in the state on the basis of a report till November 15, 2021 which recorded fast increasing crimes in these districts across the state and show-cause notices has been sent to SPs of these districts to submit a report as regard increasing criminal activities in the area and action being taken by them in this regard. While talking to media persons, Vij expressed satisfaction over the performance of DGP Haryana P.K. Aggarwal and Home Secretary Rajiv Arora and disclosed that about a dozen districts in the state has been identified having constantly rising criminal activities, of these without naming Vij said situation as regard crimes in about 50% districts is worst.
