State discom begins survey to identify units under high tension power lines

Jamshedpur: The Jamshedpur circle of the Jharkhand Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited (JBVNL) on Tuesday served notices to 25 owners of structures located at Bagbera-Harharguttu area for constructing the units under the high tension (HT) power transmission lines.

The move comes on the first day of the survey launched by the state discom to identify unauthorised structures, which fall under HT power transmission lines, located outside the command areas of Tata Steel.

JBVNL officials said the municipal areas in the vicinity of the Tata Steel command limits, including Mango, Birsanagar, Karandih, Jugsalai, Pursudih, Sundernagar, Paridih, Govindpur, would be surveyed.

Notice would be issued to the owners of offices, clubs, shops, and residential buildings which have been built in violation of the norms.

The general manager (GM) of the JBVNL (Jamshedpur circle), Ajit Kumar, said, "The people concerned have been advised to shift elsewhere as the structures could pose threat to their lives. We will approach the municipality to demolish the unauthorised structures and take penal action."

Construction of unauthorised shelter/structure under HT power lines is an offence under the Indian Electricity Act. No building or shop can be erected under the HT transmission lines without safety clearance from the agencies concerned, the general manager added.

Such structureswhich have come up in violation of the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) safety norms will be served notice, said the official

On April 13, a live 11000-volt HT power line snapped and fell on the roof of the house of a panchayat samiti member at Bagbera. An explosion happened and all the electronic devices and machines being used by the family like refrigerator, television, mobile phones were damaged as power outage happened. Four other houses located in the neighbourhood suffered damage to their electronic machines. The house owners claimed that their buildings were authorised structures.