The Fact News Service
Chandigarh, March 28
Haryana Energy Minister Anil Vij assured the House during the ongoing budget session of the Haryana Assembly that electric poles obstructing roads across the state will be removed.
He emphasized that roads are meant for smooth transportation, and any obstruction—be it trees or poles—must not be tolerated.
He informed the Assembly that officials have been directed to conduct a statewide survey to identify poles causing traffic disruptions.
“I am in favor of removing poles that obstruct roads, and I assure the House that we will remove these poles,” he stated.
Explaining the issue, Vij said that road widening and new settlements often result in electricity poles ending up in the middle of roads, even though they were initially installed at safe locations. He clarified that under current rules, the cost of shifting these poles is borne by Panchayats, Municipal Committees, Municipal Councils, or Municipal Corporations.
To support these bodies, he has instructed that electricity tax collected from villages and cities be deposited into their accounts every six months, enabling them to fund pole relocations.
He further stated that an estimate is being prepared to assess the cost of shifting these poles.
If feasible, the government will bear the expense, and a request will be made to the Finance Minister for the necessary funds. Depending on the budget allocation, the removal process will be carried out in phases or all at once.
Addressing concerns in the Badhra Assembly constituency, Vij assured that due to the financial constraints of local gram panchayats, pole-shifting expenses will be adjusted against the Panchayat tax or covered under a separate Development & Panchayat Department budget.
He highlighted that 205 unsafe poles in Badhra have already been relocated in the past three years.The Minister reaffirmed his commitment, stating, “Since I support the removal of these poles, I assure the House today that we will remove them.”
