Challaned by cops, Mainpuri junior engineer snaps police station’s power supply

Earlier this week, a lineman in Firozabad had also disconnected a police station’s electricity supply after he was challaned for not wearing a helmet

On the lines of an incident that occurred in Firozabad earlier this week, a junior engineer (JE) of the electricity department in Mainpuri disconnected the power supply of Barnahal police station here on Friday to take revenge for the ‘harassment’ he faced at the hands of cops and the regional transport office (RTO) staff.

The JE, Jai Dayal, was challaned ₹500, as his pillion rider was not wearing a helmet. He said he was returning from Saifai to Mainpuri on Friday when he was stopped by a team of the RTO and personnel of the Barnahal police station. 

“I had complete documents for my motorcycle and was wearing a helmet too. Still I was penalised on the ground that the lineman sitting behind me was not wearing a helmet. I requested them not to challan me, as I was a government employee and unaware of the rule about pillion riders having to wear helmets. However, no heed was paid to my request and the registration certificate of my vehicle was seized,” Dayal told HT on phone. 

“This infuriated me and when I told my fellow staff after reaching the department office, they too got angry and the lineman decided to disconnect the power supply to Barnahal police station. This was done at around 4 pm but fortunately, the supply from Saifai feeder was not on at that time so the act did not impact the supply at the police station,” said Dayal. 

He said that once the staff’s anger subsided, the supply line was reconnected at 6 pm. “At the same time, the supply from Saifai feeder also started after the declared power cut,” he said. 

Interestingly, the electricity department also prepared a power supply disconnection notice addressed to the Barnahal police station on Friday itself. The notice mentioned outstanding electricity dues of ₹32,103 and asked the police station to pay ₹1,000 as reconnection charges. 

When contacted, station in-charge Ashok Kumar expressed ignorance about Barnahal police station having faced any disruption in electricity supply on account of dues. He, however, said he was aware about “some episode with a JE who was challaned ₹500” for violating traffic safety rules.

“There was no power supply from 4pm to 6 pm due to a predeclared power cut in the area on Friday,” he said.  

The incident follows close on the heels of a similar case in Firozabad. Lineman Sri Niwas was challaned ₹500 for not wearing helmet on Tuesday. The agitated lineman first made an online payment of ₹500 as penalty and then asked his fellow staff at the electricity office to ascertain the power dues pending against the Line Par police station. He came to know that the police station was a defaulter with ₹6,62,463 pending since January 2016. Consequently, Sriniwas disconnected power supply to the police station.

The next day, the in-charge of the Line Par police station verified the power dues -- a step required to move the bill towards payment.