HPSEB’s abandoned buildings in a shambles

Ravinder Sood

Palampur, February 16

Several buildings of the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board (HPSEB) at Jia, nearly 10 km from here, are on the verge of collapse.

The HPSEB had abandoned these buildings nearly 20 years ago. These buildings were used as residential quarters for the field staff during the execution of the Jia power project in the nineties. When the 15 MW power project was completed, the HPSEB had abandoned these buildings without handing over to any other department. The market value of this government property is over Rs 40 crore.

Officials of the HPSEB were well versed with the situation, but neither put these buildings to use nor handed over to any other department.

A retired HPSEB officer said a proposal for utilisation of these buildings was sent to the HPSEB chairman nearly 10 years ago, but to no avail.

Most of these double-storey buildings have developed cracks, window panes have been broken and doors and electrical fittings have been removed by people.

Members of the Jia panchayat said that these buildings should be given to homeless people if the government did not want to utilise them.

Residents said they had apprised the HPSEB authorities and local MLA about these buildings, but none had bothered to look into the matter.