Ex-gratia for Drawing Power Lines Raised

BENGALURU: Securing permission from land owners to draw electricity lines above or under their properties may now become easier for electricity transmission companies with a recent government order clearing the path for better compensation.

According to the order, the owner of the land will be paid 50 per cent of the market value of the land if it is located in rural areas and 100 per cent of the market value if a transmission tower is installed. In  urban areas, the ex-gratia payment will be 75 per cent for drawing of power lines.

According to officials, till now, the Telegraph Act, 1885, was applicable for drawing power lines and under this  Act, the ex-gratia for the loss of land was paltry.

For example, a farmer who has trees on his/her property would not be able to plant saplings after overhead power lines are drawn. For this, the government would pay a certain amount.

But as the compensation was low, many were unwilling to allow power lines to be drawn over their property, causing development of transmission networks in the city and many other parts of the state to drag on.

As a result, routine power outages due to overburdened networks had become a major problem in cities like Bengaluru, Tumakuru and Mysuru.

The Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Ltd (KPTCL), the nodal agency for laying transmission lines, recently announced plans to spend around `1,720 crore to raise the transmission capacity from the present 2,500 MVA to 7,500 MVA.

The government order will help the agency deal with right of way issues faster.

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The New Indian Express
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