Private linesman electrocuted while repairing transformer in Palamu
THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK Daltonganj, July 23: The Jharkhand Electricity Department has ruled out any official connection with a private linesman who…
Representational Image (Image: The Hans India)
THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Daltonganj, July 23: The Jharkhand Electricity Department has ruled out any official connection with a private linesman who died while attempting to repair a transformer fault in Palamu district, even as a high-level inquiry has highlighted the growing dependence of rural consumers on unauthorised electricians due to a shortage of departmental staff.
The inquiry was conducted on Wednesday following the death of Satender Kumar Mahato (32), who was electrocuted on the evening of July 19 in Selari village under Tarhassi police station limits. Mahato had climbed a 25 KV transformer to restore electricity supply when the fatal incident occurred.
Executive Engineer Visits Site, Meets Family
Executive Engineer Santosh Kumar visited the accident site and met the deceased’s family members and local residents to ascertain the circumstances leading to the incident.
One of the key questions before the inquiry was whether Mahato was an authorised employee of the Electricity Department or was engaged through an outsourced agency.
“The deceased was neither an authorised linesman of our department nor a manpower employee of any outsourced agency,” Kumar said.
“He was simply a local person who knew how to repair faults in the electricity supply,” he added.
Inquiry Probes Who Asked Him to Climb Transformer
The department is also investigating who asked Mahato to climb the transformer to restore power supply.
“No local consumer has any answer. Everyone is tight-lipped and claims ignorance about who asked him to climb the transformer,” the Executive Engineer said.
Kumar also clarified that there was no electricity supply at the time Mahato climbed the transformer.
“There was no power supply then. He had climbed to restore the dead power supply,” he said.
When asked about reports that the deceased had no visible burn injuries despite being electrocuted, Kumar said, “Let the post-mortem report come. I cannot comment on it.”
Bad Weather May Have Been a Contributing Factor
The Executive Engineer said adverse weather conditions could also have played a role in the tragedy.
“The weather was very bad. There were rains and lightning. These factors could have contributed to the death of the man,” he said.
Staff Shortage Forces Consumers to Depend on Private Electricians
Local residents said consumers frequently hire private bijli mistris to restore electricity supply because departmental linesmen often take several hours to reach fault locations.
They attributed the situation to a severe shortage of manpower in the Electricity Department due to limited recruitment over the years.
Although the JBVNL Supply Code strictly prohibits untrained, unskilled and unauthorised persons from carrying out electrical repair work, locals claimed the rule is routinely violated because of the lack of trained personnel.
Residents suggested that the department introduce a cadre of trained neighbourhood-level electricians on the lines of Jal Sahiyas and Swasthya Sahiyas. They proposed that the department provide free technical training while allowing the trained workers to earn directly from consumers for repair services.
Meanwhile, residents of Selari village have demanded ₹4 lakh compensation for Mahato’s family, stating that they are economically weak and require immediate financial assistance.
