Jaipur: Exposing the rot in the energy department, Rajasthan Patrika on Wednesday carried an editorial, written by its editor Bhuvnesh Gupta, highlighting the insensitive administrative system that it does not wake up until eight or ten people lose their lives.
He said the senior officers take high salaries in the name of providing services, but takes almost no responsibility.
Citing examples he said that on Monday, two brothers died after coming into contact with an electric current in a field in Chaksu, Jaipur district. In Manoharpur, a contract worker died while repairing a Delhi transmission line. Last week, three people were killed in Karauli district after a high-tension wire snapped. It seems as though Rajasthan's Energy Department and power distribution companies' officers and engineers are asleep in arrogance, treating the people of the state as if their lives have little value.
He said much hype is created around electricity—solar energy, massive power plants, networks of high-tension lines, high-tech meters, digital billing systems, and endless talk of infrastructure development. It appears that "infrastructure" has become everything, while actual public service has been forgotten.
He said large commissions are earned in infrastructure projects, but poor service delivery does not change.
Power distribution companies have accumulated huge debts. Sitting comfortably in air-conditioned offices, officials and engineers have burdened the people of Rajasthan with nearly Rs 88,700 crore of debt, while leaving consumers to fend for themselves.
Loose wires hanging everywhere, tree branches touching power lines, frequent power cuts after rain or storms, repeated blackouts during summer, voltage fluctuations, and household appliances getting damaged have become routine.
Despite all this, consumers continue to pay various charges through their electricity bills.
Last year, in a case where a father and son died due to electrocution, a court held the Jaipur power distribution company responsible and ordered compensation of around Rs 1.25 crore, along with interest, for the bereaved family. Even then, officials showed no sense of accountability.
Complaints about electric current flowing through underground cables are also increasing. Instead of laying cables at the prescribed depth, contractors often bury them only one or two feet below the surface. Once the work is done, nobody seems to care if someone is injured or killed.
Officials and their families continue to enjoy all comforts, while ordinary citizens are left to bear the consequences.
Maintenance workers are often employed on contract and are not provided with adequate safety equipment. Carelessness during shutdowns and repair work is common, and there is poor coordination with other government departments.
Why should the electricity department be allowed to gamble with people's lives? Responsibility for negligence and inefficiency must be fixed at every level—from ministers and secretaries to engineers and linemen, he added.
Financial penalties should be recovered from negligent officials' salaries, and strict punishment should be imposed on officers and engineers whose negligence leads to loss of life. Only then will this department finally wake up from its deep slumber.
