VASCO
The electrocution of a senior linesman helper of Vasco electricity department while on duty has sparked off a controversy regarding the jurisdiction of two departments.
Senior linesman helper Andrew Fernandes got electrocuted at the sewerage treatment plant at Katem-Baina, Vasco, on Monday afternoon.
Andrew's death has been a double tragedy for the Fernandes family within seven months, after his wife had died of dengue on June 14, 2015. They are survived by their 15-year-old daughter, who is in SSC.
According to assistant engineer Vithal Halankar, the incident took place as a team of linesmen had gone to trim trees along the road at Dabolim on Monday morning.
“I received a call informing that a fuse of the transformer at the sewerage treatment plant at Katem-Baina had blown off and the power supply was cut.”
“I directed assistant linesman Amin Sab and some linesmen helpers, including Andrew Fernandes, to attend to the call.”
“After completing their job and as they were about to return, an official at the sewerage treatment plant informed them to check their transformer, which was facing some similar problem,” informed Halankar.
“Andrew Fernandes went to attend the call and while he was standing on the bracket of the transformer, his hand came in contact with a high tension wire above his head and he got electrocuted.”
Asked if it was the duty of the electricity department to maintain the transformer of the sewerage treatment plant, Halankar replied: “Though the transformer was installed by the electricity department for the PWD sewerage department, it is the duty of the sewerage department to look into any faults, as they have their own technicians.”
When asked who had asked the team of linesmen, including Fernandes, to attend to the call at the sewerage treatment plant when they have their own technicians, Halankar said he was not aware about it.
“No one from the electricity department had requested Fernandes to attend the fault at the sewerage treatment plant,” insisted Halankar.
Narrating the sequence of events to The Goan, Assistant Linesman Amin Sab said they had repaired the fuse on the electricity department transformer at the sewerage treatment plant.
“We were about to leave the site, when an official of the sewerage treatment plant requested us to attend to a fault.”
“I refused to attend to the fault and sat in the vehicle. But I saw Fernandes going back to the sewerage treatment transformer and with the help of a ladder, climbed the pole,” recalled Sab.
“As Fernandes was trying to stand on the bracket, I shouted out to him to be aware as he would come in contact with the high tension wire.”
“But before Fernandes could pay heed to my warning, his hand touched the high tension wire and got electrocuted. He fell down on the stones and died,” said Sab.
Expressing shock over the circumstances leading to his brother's death, Pedro Fernandes said his brother had complained only a few days ago that he was being forced to climb on the electricity poles for repair work.
“My brother, Andrew, said he had been threatened with action if he were to disobey orders,” alleged Pedro.
“How could a senior linesman helper be asked to carry out the maintenance work when the electricity department has linesmen and assistant linesmen, who are supposed to carry out the works? Helpers are only expected to help them.”
When this was brought to the notice of assistant engineer Vithal Halankar, he said the helpers are made to work under the supervision of either the junior engineer, linesmen or assistant linesmen.
Incidentally in the last six months, this is the third case of linesmen helpers coming into contact with live wires. While two of them survived, Andrew lost his life while on duty.
Despite attempts, officials from the sewage department were not available to respond to queries on who had asked Andrew to attend to a fault on the transformer, when sewerage department has its own technicians to look into such faults in their premises.
