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Guwahati : After 34 electruction deaths in different places of Assam in past 3 months, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Thursday entrusted retired justice of Gauhati High Court H.N. Sarma with the responsibility of investigating the incidents.
On Thursday, four persons were electrocuted in Karbi Anglong, Chirang and Namti of the state.
Following rising up the electrocution cases in the state, Assam CM Sonowal warned that, if any APDCL employee or official is found guilty of negligence in duty for which these unfortunate incidents of electrocution deaths have occurred, then those persons would have to face punitive action.
While reviewing the functioning of APDCL at Chief Minister's Conference Room at Janata Bhawan in Dispur on Thursday, the Assam CM had announced to constitute of 158 Sub-divisional Supervision and Advisory Committees for Electrical Sub-divisons of the state.
These 11 member Committees would comprise of Circle Officer as president and APDCL SDO as member secretary where BDO, OC or CI of local police station, women representative, two senior gaon burhas (village heads) and three eminent persons nominated by APDCL would also be included as members.
Sonowal also directed immediate release of ex-gratia to the next of kin of deceased in the electrocution incidents at different parts of the state and he directed the ADCL engineers to regularly monitor all areas under them for eliminating snags and lacunas in power transmission.
The Assam CM directed to start emergency service for addressing faults in power supply in other cities of the state like Silchar, Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Nagaon, Tezpur, and Tinsukia on the lines of Guwhati. Sonowal also instructed to provide separate uniform to the linemen of APDCL and asked the department to hold meetings with the electrical engineering departments of engineering colleges of the state for taking suggestions for improving the power scenario.
Sonowal directed prompt action to fill up the vacant posts of three thousand linemen and helpers in the Power Department and it was decided in the meeting to present awards to best performing electrical subdivisions of state for instilling a healthy competitive spirit within the department.
Saying that all officials of APDCL must commit themselves to improve the functioning of the department, Sonowal warned that the government would not tolerate any such unfortunate incident where electrocution claims life of innocent people due to APDCL staff's negligence.
Sonowal also stated that some accidents happen when electric lines are snapped during storm and to avoid these incidents he directed the engineers of APDCL to regularly monitor the areas under them.
Minister of State for Power Pallab Lochan Das, Legal Adviser to the Chief Minister Shantanu Bharali, Chief Secreatary V.K. Pipersenia, Additional Chief Secretary of Power Department Alok Kumar, Secretary to the Chief Minister Vishal Vasant Solanki along with top officials of APDCL and Power Department were also present in the meeting.
(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
