Preventive measures are a must to reduce electricity-related fatalities
For the first time, the state government last week suspended 13 employees, including three assistant engineers and three junior engineers, on a single day, on charges of dereliction of duty in connection with electricity-related fatal accidents in Bicholim, Sanguem and Verna.
A line helper died recently after suffering an electric shock while trimming tree branches in Assonora. In another incident in Xelpem, a contract labourer died and four others were injured while replacing an electricity pole. Last week, a cleaner died in Verna after a live overhead wire snapped and fell on the mini-tempo in which he was travelling.
Minister for Power Ramkrishna ‘Sudin’ Dhavalikar and Chief Electrical Engineer Stephen Fernandes have shown the courage to crack the whip. They have sent a clear message to senior officers that negligence and dereliction of duty will not be tolerated. Apart from the suspensions, show-cause notices have been issued to two executive engineers and one assistant engineer. Electricity-related fatal accidents have increased lately. Senior engineers of the sub-division were under the scanner over the deaths of line staff. The department also promptly initiated an inquiry into the matter, which brought out the alleged negligence.
In 2023, too, a 22-year-old line helper lost his life, following which there was public outrage and allegations of severe negligence by senior officers. Accordingly, the department initiated a high-level inquiry and officially placed the assistant linesman under suspension. Historically, department-level accidents often resulted in delayed internal inquiries, where accountability was diluted or passed down to low-level contractual workers.
Suspending mid-level officers (AEs and JEs) alongside operational staff and issuing show-cause notices to executive engineers indicates that supervisory oversight is finally being held accountable. Unannounced shutdowns and unsafe site practices directly jeopardise field workers (and citizens, too), and those responsible must be pulled up for negligence. It is alleged that sometimes the protocol for undertaking line works is not followed. Fernandes, who is also the chairman of the Western Regional Power Committee (WRPC), is known for his professional work, having worked in a private-sector power company.
The government normally announces ex-gratia payments and mandatory compensation, with hardly any accountability shown. Whether one is a line helper, wireman or some other employee, life is precious. The government’s responsibility does not end by merely giving ex-gratia and compensation. Electricity-related deaths of workers in the country are more often due to negligence than technical reasons. If negligence is proved, there should be some provision by which the responsible official is made to pay at least part of the compensation for the loss of life.
The suspension of a linesman in Sanguem has already evoked a sharp reaction from a local councillor, who held a protest at the Electricity Department’s office. His contention is that the department has made a linesman a scapegoat without a proper inquiry. If this is true, then the inquiry should be reviewed in the Sanguem case.
Generally, if suspensions are done rightly, they are an answer to dereliction of duty. However, there is more need to fix the system. Safety measures must be foolproof. The department needs to strictly implement work protocols. Line work should never begin without verified physical or digital isolation tags and written clearance. Lines should be equipped with earth-leakage circuit breakers (ELCBs) and automated fault-detection systems to prevent back-feeding during maintenance. Worksite electrical safety should be the top priority. Field staff should be trained to follow safe work procedures. Contractors should also follow the same practices to reduce fatalities. Senior officers need to go to the field to supervise work.
