OUR CORRESPONDENT
Itanagar: Two employees of the Tawang electrical division in Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh were killed by electrocution while they were repairing the 11kv Tawang-Timilo-Changprong-Seru-Yusum feeder line. The deceased have been identified as Tenzin Lotey and Vikash Kumar.
Tawang Electrical Division Executive Engineer Sange Phuntso informed that all the three phases were restored till a double-pole structure near Timilo on October 17 morning.
“The line was isolated at that point by taking shutdown, and again charged up to Timilo, and a group had gone to find the fault and restore the whole faulty segment,” he said.
He informed that Lotey and Kumar had used an aluminium ladder to fix an isolated conductor at around 4:45 pm on Thursday, “without taking shutdown from the control room, and were electrocuted.” “Two other staffers, who went unharmed, are Wangchin and Tenzin,” he said.
The EE added that the district power department deeply regrets the death and will ensure that such incident does not recur by ensuring that awareness is generated among the staff.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pema Khandu expressed sorrow over the tragic incident and said that ex gratia will be paid to the families of the deceased as per the government norms. He also advised senior officials of the department to strengthen safety protocols to prevent such incidents.
Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein, who also holds the power portfolio, also condoled the death. A thorough enquiry has been initiated to understand the circumstances that led to this unfortunate incident. The enquiry committee has been tasked with identifying the root causes and ensuring that stringent safety measures are put in place to prevent such tragedies in the future.
The safety and well-being of our staff are of utmost importance, and we are committed to taking every possible step to protect them as they continue their vital work, the deputy chief minister said.
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