HPSEB paid Rs10 lakh, still no power connection for Palampur oxygen plant

Ravinder Sood

Palampur, June 23

The state government has released Rs 10 lakh to the HP State Electricity Board (HPSEB) for the installation of a power connection for a medical oxygen plant at the local Civil Hospital following a news item published in The Tribune last week. However, the district administration has not yet submitted documents pertaining to the power load required for the plant to the HPSEB.

A senior HPSEB officer said that there was no delay on their part in releasing the power connection but the district administration was yet to submit some technical documents mandatory for the installation of the required machinery for the plant at the Civil Hosptial.

It may recalled that an oxygen plant set up under the PM CARES Fund at the Civil Hospital here is awaiting an electricity connection for the past one month. As per a letter of the Central Government addressed to the state governments, it is the responsibility of the states to provide buildings and other infrastructures, including electricity and water connections, to the oxygen plants to be set up under the PM CARES Fund. In Palampur, the oxygen plant at the Civil Hospital is ready but it still does not have an electricity connection.

The DRDO had provided the design and site plan of the platform of the plant to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), which completed the task well in time. Later the plant was airlifted from Bangalore to Palampur and installed at the Civil Hospital. However, in the absence of a power connection, the plant has been nonfunctional.