PANAJI
Goa's leading consumer rights and awareness group GOACAN welcomed the advisory on use of inverters and gen-sets issued by the Goa Electricity Department, but called it "belated" even as it pointed out that it had suggested including 'inverters' in the existing 'form A' for registering gen-sets three years ago.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Goacan mentor Roland Martins demanded that the Chief Electrical Engineer (CEE) act on the suggestions related to safety and other issues made in a letter to him back in May 2021.
In its May 2021 letter to the CEE, Goacan had asked for modification of the existing form A (see Rule 4 (1)) used to register gen-sets to also include registration of Inverters.
It may be recalled that in a recent incident at Bicholim, a linesman died instantly of electrocution while working on repairs to a main supply line. Although all precautions were taken to ensure supply was shut down, Ajgaonkar got electrocuted when he touched the neutral line, reportedly due to a backfield current from an Inverter of a nearby establishment 'Fitness Factory'.
The advisory on gen-sets and Inverters issued by the Electricity department comes just a week after the Bicholim incident.
Goacan said, the department needs to conduct a drive to check if the installed "change over switch" is the same as approved by it and whether it is still in a sealed condition.
It added that this drive should begin with the gen-sets being used by government departments like the Directorate of Health Services and their allied facilities like Hospitals, Primary Health Centres among others.
The May 2021 letter of Goacan also said, that an awareness drive on use of Solar Power also needs to be undertaken among consumers using gen-sets and inverters, Martins recalled.
