A 42-year-old contractual worker of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) was electrocuted while replacing a faulty jumper near the 66-kV Giaspura substation on Saturday morning.
The deceased, Sukhjit Singh of Govindsar, was working with a PSPCL team on the Kabir Nagar feeder when he received the shock and fell from a ladder. His colleagues and a junior engineer present at the spot rushed him to a private hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
According to fellow workers, the team had initially attended to a faulty jumper earlier in the morning. After receiving information about another fault on the Kabir Nagar feeder, the team reached the area near the Giaspura substation to replace the jumper. Sukhjit climbed a ladder to carry out the repair work, while colleagues Ravinder and Deepak held it from below. The workers said Sukhjit was electrocuted as he touched the line while attempting to replace the jumper and fell from the ladder.
The incident has raised questions over how the line became live despite the required shutdown procedure being followed. PSPCL officials said the three feeder lines passing through the area had been shut down after the team obtained a permit from the grid before starting the repair work.
However, during a preliminary assessment, officials suspected that back-feeding from a generator may have caused the line to become live. They stressed that this was only a preliminary possibility and that the exact source of the current would be established only after a detailed investigation.
{{/usCountry}}However, during a preliminary assessment, officials suspected that back-feeding from a generator may have caused the line to become live. They stressed that this was only a preliminary possibility and that the exact source of the current would be established only after a detailed investigation.
{{/usCountry}}Additional superintending engineer, east division, Gurmanpreet Singh Somal, said the team had been working on the Kabir Nagar feeder and that a permit had been obtained before the line was shut down for the repair work. “The line was shut down after the required permit was taken before the work started. The incident has been reported in writing to the chief electrical inspector, who will investigate the matter and ascertain how the line became live despite the shutdown,” Somal said.
The chief electrical inspector will examine the safety procedures followed at the site, the permit-to-work system, the shutdown of the feeders and the possible source of back-feed. The investigation is also expected to establish whether any procedural lapse or technical fault led to the fatal accident.
Sukhjit was married and is survived by his wife and a child.
Meanwhile, PSPCL authorities have directed officials to ensure that the pending dues of the deceased worker are released at the earliest.