| PDD employees die in harness, families denied compensation | | | G S Asgotra
Early Times Report
Jammu, Aug 19: Families of the linemen, need-based workers and daily-rated workers of the Power Development Department (PDD) who have died in harness are moving from pillar to post for compensation. According to SRO number 328-PDD of 2011 dated 24-11-2011, the PDD has to provide an ex-gratia relief of Rs 3 lakh to its workers who get killed and Rs 1 lakh to those who sustain 100 percent disability after receiving electric shocks. Not a single deceased, however, has so far got the benefit of this SRO, according to PDD sources.
For example, Mangat Ram, a need-based worker of Division-II and a resident of Hakkal Chatta, had sustained fatal electric shock while working on a low tension wire in Poni Chack area on July 29, 2002. "When he was working to restore electricity, suddenly the HT lines (11,000kv) fell on the LT line wire (440kv), leaving Ram 100 percent disabled," sources said.
"Since then his family has been knocking the doors of officials concerned including the Executive Engineer Rehari. But the department has not released a single penny as ex-gratia relief," they said.
They said when GMC&H Jammu had given up on Ram, his family admitted him at CMC hospital Ludhiana. "After two month long treatment, the doctors were able to save his life.
The treatment, however, cost more than Rs 4 lakh, and surprisingly his own department has disowned him," said sources.
Girdhari Bhagat, general secretary of the Linesmen Union, said that Ram's was not an isolated case. He said there are more than 200 linesmen, daily-rated workers and need-based workers who have died in harness and their families are still denied the compensation.
Bhagat said the families of the linesmen have left no stone unturned for justice but to no avail. He said the JEEs concerned of all the divisions, violating the norms have compelled the linesmen to work even as the power supply is on due to which most of the mishaps have had happened. "Last month, on July 2, a linesman Sham Lal died in SIDCO Phase-I when he was restoring supply. The department instead of taking action against the JEE concerned is busying shielding them," Bhagat said. No top official of the PDD was available for comment. |
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