Haryana Energy Minister Anil Vij launches tree trimming drive, urges power upgrades, strict bill recovery, and uninterrupted supply during Diwali.
Sh. Anil Vij, the Haryana Energy Minister, claimed that the issue of tree branches contacting power wires and causing power outages will now be fixed. The state will start a big campaign to prune and trim trees so that strong gusts or tall branches don’t mess up the electrical supply. Sh. Vij said that this campaign will take place all across Haryana and that all relevant officers must run it in their own districts.
Sh. Vij stressed that there will be no mercy for stealing electricity; people must pay their bills; free electricity will not be given.
Sh. Vij was in charge of a meeting to examine the work of the Energy Department staff at the UT Guest House in Chandigarh. Sh. Apoorva Kumar Singh, the Additional Chief Secretary of the Energy Department, and other officers were also at the meeting.
Vij says that all overloaded transformers and conductors should be upgraded.
He also told the police to repair all transformers that were too full and improve all conductors that were too full. Departmental personnel told him that work on this is already going on and will be done shortly in the other locations as well. Sh. Vij also noted that even while power companies have cut down on line losses, more needs to be done to cut them down even more to make sure that consumers get high-quality power.
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“Safety equipment must be used and enough maintenance staff must be on duty,” Vij said.
He also told police to keep a separate bank of transformers so that broken ones can be replaced right away. The minister stressed that enough maintenance people must be sent out because not having enough staff often slows down the restoration of power. Sh. Vij stressed that maintenance workers must have all the safety gear they need to avoid mishaps while fixing supply lines. He said that no maintenance workers should climb poles without safety gear. All complaint centers must work well, and it should be easy for the public to find call center numbers and other contact information at all power offices.
On Diwali, officers must make sure that the power stays on.
The minister told officers that throughout the holiday season, especially on Diwali, senior officers must make sure that there is no power interruption on Diwali day.
Before the next monsoon season, substations and powerhouses that are below ground level should be lifted – Vij
Sh. Vij told officials to raise all substations and powerhouses that are likely to get flooded before the next monsoon season to keep flooding from happening. It is also important to build new substations on higher ground. He also talked about the progress of the Mhara Gaon–Jagmag Gaon scheme at the meeting and gave the required orders.
Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam gets back Rs. 492.57 crore
The minister was told that Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam got back Rs. 492.57 crore from customers who didn’t pay their bills between April 16, 2025, and September 30, 2025. The recoveries include Rs.18.64 crore from Panchkula, Rs. 23.89 crore from Ambala, Rs.117.05 crore from Yamunanagar, Rs. 23.21 crore from Kurukshetra, Rs. 46.21 crore from Kaithal, Rs.32.37 crore from Karnal, Rs. 73.93 crore from Panipat, Rs.54.84 crore from Sonipat, Rs. 57.12 crore from Rohtak, and Rs. 45.31 crore from Jhajjar. Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam also recovered Rs. 489.65 crore between April 16, 2025, and September 30, 2025. This included Rs. 22.99 crore from Gurugram-2, Rs. 5.81 crore from Gurugram-1, Rs. 42.49 crore from Faridabad, Rs. 102.24 crore from Palwal, Rs. 28.77 crore from Narnaul, Rs. 12.82 crore from Rewari, Rs. 50.82 crore from Bhiwani, Rs. 97.36 crore from Hisar, Rs. 41.86 crore from Fatehabad, Rs. 29.14 crore from Sirsa, and Rs. 55.35 crore from Jind.
Sh. Vij also told officers to be harsh with customers who don’t pay their bills and to get the money back quickly, or else they will have to go to court. He told officers to visit with local sarpanches in regions where electricity theft is common and collections are still pending to make sure they work together to collect. In these communities, there will be a full recovery campaign led by deputy commissioners and senior district officers. Sh. Vij said he would keep an eye on the rehabilitation process himself. He told the authorities to make a clear plan of action to stop people from stealing electricity and to punish those who do so severely.
During the meeting, Sh. Ashok Meena, Managing Director of Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam, Sh. Ashok Garg, Managing Director of Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam, and Sh. J. Ganesan, Managing Director of Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam were all there, along with Chief Engineers, Superintending Engineers, and other high-ranking officials.