The latest tragedy occurred in Palampur two days ago, where a 32-year-old lineman died after being electrocuted while working on an 11 kV power line. On the same day, an outsourced worker sustained serious injuries in Kullu and is currently undergoing treatment.
The repeated accidents have once again triggered concern among employees and unions over the safety of field staff responsible for maintaining the state’s transmission and distribution network. Workers’ representatives allege that severe staff shortages are forcing employees to work under unsafe conditions and without adequate support.
In a letter addressed to HPSEBL Chairman Prabodh Saxena, the HPSEBL Employees Union said despite safety norms requiring at least three workers for maintenance and complaint-handling duties, only a single employee is often being sent to attend line faults and carry out repair work at several locations.
According to Ranvir Thakur, president of the Technical Staff Association, nearly 50 to 60 per cent of posts meant for field staff in the transmission, distribution and generation wings are lying vacant. He added that the board is also facing a shortage of around 450 Junior Engineers (JEs), whose supervisory role is considered crucial for ensuring adherence to safety procedures.
“As per norms, every section should have one JE. But due to the shortage, one JE is handling three to four sections at many places,” said Thakur, adding that the absence of proper supervision often compromises implementation of safety protocols in the field.
To bridge the manpower gap, the government has hired nearly 1,000 outsourced maintenance gang workers. While employees admit that these workers provide some relief, they say the arrangement has limitations and often raises fresh safety concerns.
“Only outsourced workers recruited under the skilled category are officially authorised to work on power lines,” said Thakur. However, employees claim that because of acute manpower shortages, even unskilled outsourced workers eventually end up performing risky field duties.
Over the last five years, eight outsourced employees have also died in workplace accidents, while many others have suffered serious injuries. Employees further pointed out that outsourced workers receive very little compensation in the event of death or injury. Most of them earn between Rs 12,000 and Rs 14,000 per month, making it difficult for injured workers to afford prolonged medical treatment. “An outsourced employee can barely manage household expenses. After a serious accident, treatment becomes financially impossible for many of them,” said one worker.
Although the Board periodically issues Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and safety guidelines, employees argue that implementing these measures becomes nearly impossible when only one worker is deputed for field operations.
“When a single person is sent to attend complaints or maintenance work, he cannot carry all the equipment or follow every safety protocol properly,” Thakur said.
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