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Ludhiana: Four fatalities in 3 months, PSPCL staff still without safety gear
In the past three months, Ludhiana has witnessed four such fatalities; despite recurring accidents, workers said their outsourcing firms have failed to provide safety gear for over two months
A day after heavy rains inundated Ludhiana and caused widespread power outages, outsourced linemen and assistant linemen employed as CHB (Complaint Handling Bikes) and CHW (Complaint Handling Wagons) on Wednesday said they were being made to work on live electricity lines without proper safety gear.
In the past three months, Ludhiana has witnessed four such fatalities. Despite recurring accidents, workers said their outsourcing firms have failed to provide safety gear for over two months.
Highlighting the dangers, workers noted that wet conditions and moisture increase the risk of electrocution. They said they are forced to work without essential safety equipment such as earth sticks, rubber gloves, rubber shoes, safety belts, helmets, ladders, and safety sensors.
Union seeks action
In a letter to the PSPCL CMD (chairman and managing director) Ajoy Kumar Sinha on September 1, the Powercom and Transco contractual workers union, representing CHB and CHW staff, highlighted that incidents of electrocution continued across state, yet no adequate measures have been implemented. The union demanded that privatisation policies be cancelled, recruitment through outside contractors be stopped and electrical work be brought directly under the Punjab government.
Balihar Singh, state president of the union, said, “Although the department has instructed outsourcing firms to provide safety kits, negligence persists, leading to multiple deaths. On Monday itself, another CHB worker succumbed to electrocution in Hoshiarpur.”
PSPCL acknowledges safety gaps
Acknowledging the safety negligence, a senior PSPCL official noted that there are nearly 1,500 CHB and CHW staff working across Ludhiana district. Although they have issued rubber gloves, rubber boots and helmets to these workers, they are extremely poor in quality.
We have written to the PSPCL management in Patiala, to hold these firms accountable for such dire negligence. When contacted, chief engineer Jagdev Hans said, “We have received complaints regarding the poor quality of safety kits provided by these firms. The concerns have been forwarded to higher authorities.”
