Mahavitaran warns of dismissal for staff who use private persons for power work
Mahavitaran has said employees who get work on its power network done by private or unauthorised persons will face strict action, including dismissal.
Chandrapur/Gadchiroli: Employees of Mahavitaran who get work on its power network done by private or unauthorised persons will face strict action such as dismissal, the utility has made clear. Replacing faulty transformers, technical repairs, recovery of electricity bills and removal of meters must be carried out in compliance with electrical safety rules, and the full responsibility for this rests with technical staff in the lineman cadre. Private persons or unauthorised manpower must not be used in any way for such technical and risky work, it has said.
Director (Operations) Dhananjay Aundhekar recently issued a circular on the matter. He has ordered zonal chief engineers and superintending engineers to ensure compliance.
Running Mahavitaran's power distribution system safely, maintaining and repairing it and resolving consumer complaints promptly are the primary duty of every engineer and technical employee concerned. To carry out the actual work, principal technicians, senior technicians and technicians have been appointed in the lineman cadre under the field offices. They have been assigned the tasks of replacing faulty distribution transformers, replacing DO fuses, tracing faults in power lines, resolving consumer complaints about power supply, recovering electricity bills and removing the meters of defaulting consumers.
However, it has come to notice that some lineman cadre employees are not doing this work themselves but are getting it done by private persons or unauthorised manpower. Such complaints have been received at the headquarters level. The circular says this is extremely serious. Such persons lack adequate technical knowledge and safety training. As a result, there is a high likelihood of electrical and mechanical accidents injuring these private persons as well as employees. Electricity consumers and Mahavitaran's property can also suffer damage.
The circular also cites the law. Under Rule 3 of the Central Electricity Authority (Measures Relating to Safety and Electric Supply) Regulations, 2023, only an authorised person can carry out work related to power distribution service, and only such a person is qualified to work on power lines and equipment. Allowing a private person who has not been officially nominated by Mahavitaran, or who is unqualified, to work on the power system, or getting work done by such a person, is therefore wholly illegal and unauthorised. Under Mahavitaran's service regulations, this amounts to extremely serious misconduct.
Taking note of all this, Aundhekar has issued strict directions through the circular. If it is found that work was done using unauthorised manpower, or that any mishap, accident or damage to property resulted from such misconduct, the case must be inquired into immediately, he has said. Employees found guilty in the inquiry will face strict action such as dismissal or termination of service under the provisions of the service regulations, the circular clearly warns.
Aundhekar has also ordered chief engineers and superintending engineers in the field offices to check periodically that private and unauthorised manpower is not being used in power distribution work in their areas under any circumstances.
