DHBVN order to expedite power connections in industries

Gurugram: The Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited (DHBVN) has empowered superintending and chief engineers to approve new power connections and electrification plans for industrialists and developers, said officials on Friday.

The move will expedite the electrification process as earlier, approvals were only given by DHBVN’s Hisar headquarters, officials added.

The order, delegating approval authority to the superintending engineers (operation) and chief engineers (operation), was issued on Wednesday by the chief engineer (commercial), who is posted at the Hisar headquarters, said officials. They said that earlier, only CE (commercial) at the headquarters was empowered to approve load and electrification plans for major projects in all the 11 circles under DHBVN, including two in Gurugram, where sanctioned load exceeded 500KVA.

A senior DHBVN official said that the decision was taken after developers and industrialists of Gurugram urged Haryana power minister Ranjit Singh Chautala during a meeting held on January 4 to ensure that new connections get approved quickly.

Chautala assured necessary action during the meeting and had asked discom officers to ensure quality power supply to industries.

ML Rohilla, superintending engineer (circle-1, Gurugram), said that the order has also empowered SEs to approve new connections with 2MVA load. “Those with load above 2MVA and up to 5MVA will be approved by the CE and above 5MVA load will be approved by the CE (commercial) at the Hisar headquarters,” he said.

Rohilla said that the approval authority was decentralised after city-based industrialists and developers urged the power minister for a solution to the delays in approvals. “Now, new connections will be issued in much lesser time,” he added.

Officials said that though the entire process is online, developers and industrialists keep dedicated human resources only for the purpose of continuous follow-ups by visiting Hisar in order to get quick power approvals.