By Farooq Ganai, NAK
Jammu : Jammu and Kashmir State Accountability Commission today recommended dismissal of two Engineers, who were found guilty of negligence, which resulted in electrocution of two casual workers.
The Commission, according to sources in its order issued today, recommended dismissal of two Engineers of Power Development Department, Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) Farid Ahmad Tak and Junior Engineer (JE) Idrees Khan for negligence while assigning the technical job work to casual labours.
Sources told News Agency of Kashmir that the Commission comprising Justice (Rtd) GL Raina as its acting chairman and Justice (Rtd) Muzaffar Jan as its member issued the directions to the state government after a regular inquiry was ordered and both sides were asked to lead evidence.
It was reliably learnt that two casual labourers Malkit Singh and Anayatulla died in 2005 while repairing a transmission line at receiving station Gawari Bhadarwah.
Accusing the two PDD officials responsible for the negligence, family members of the deceased worker filed a complaint before the Accountability Commission. The complainant alleged that October 4, 2005 a major fault had developed in the Ist Line at receiving station Gawari Bhadarwah.
The two casual labourers, were asked by the accused engineers to repair the transmission line, the compliant claimed adding, the engineers did not bothered to ensure proper shut down of all electric supply lines around the spot, before starting the repair work.
In the absence of any shutdown, high tension, “Sartangal” feeder (Supply Line) – which is located at a distance of 2-3 feet from the feeder, was not switched off and it finally led to the death of both labourers, the order issued by the commission reads.
The commission, during the inquiry, found that the engineers did not adopted sufficient precautions before engaging the unskilled and un-protected labourers on work.
The engineers are held responsible for negligence as they failed to take due care and caution, which a prudent and responsible public functionary would consider necessary to be taken, for effecting repair and removal of a major fault on electric supply lines, the order said.
The commission, held that both the AEE and JE guilty of act of mal-administration within the ambit of section 2 of the J&K Accountability Commission Act 2002 and recommended action against the public functionaries under Rule 30 of J&K Civil Services (Classification,Control, Appeal) Rules of 1956 by dismissing of both of them from government services.