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Death on the ladder, questions on the ground
Lineman’s electrocution raises concerns over lack of safety gear and official apathy; family fights for survival after loss of sole breadwinner
Around 1:30am on February 28, Parshuram Rawat climbed a ladder at the Sector 25 powerhouse in Indira Nagar to repair a faulty jumper fuse on a 33 kV line. Moments later, a surge of electricity ran through his body, throwing him off balance. By the time he hit the ground headfirst, the 48-year-old contractual lineman was dead.
For the electricity department it was another accident; for Rawat’s family, it meant the loss of their only breadwinner.
Rawat had allegedly been asked to carry out the repair late at night without a safety belt or protective gear and in the absence of senior officials. Preliminary findings suggest the work should have been handled by technical staff, yet Rawat was sent up the ladder.
His death has once again drawn attention to a recurring but often overlooked problem: linemen working on live lines without basic safety protection.
According to Devendra Pandey, general secretary of the Uttar Pradesh Nivida Samvida Karmchari Sangh, around 30 linemen have died due to electrocution across the state in the past year, while dozens more have been injured.
“In Lucknow alone, seven linemen have died and 13 have been injured,” Pandey pointed out, adding, “Most of these incidents occur because safety norms are ignored. After every accident, questions are raised briefly before the issue fades from public memory.”
“Compensation is announced, but rarely are strict steps taken against contractors or officials responsible for safety violations,” he noted.
Following Rawat’s death, Madhyanchal Vidyut Vitaran Nigam managing director Riya Kejriwal suspended four officials, including an executive engineer, citing gross negligence and violation of safety norms.
But for Rawat’s family, the issue is no longer about departmental procedures or official inquiries. It is about how they will survive the next month.
His wife, Vimla Rawat, says they have received no compensation so far. “Even his salary for that month has not been released,” she said, adding, “No officer has visited us. No one has asked how we are surviving.”
With no income left, the family had to vacate their rented room in the city and return to their village, Taraiyya, near Sitapur.
“We don’t have agricultural land there; only a small house,” Vimla said quietly.
The uncertainty now hangs over their four children — three daughters and a son studying in Class IV.
For Anjali Rawat, one of Parshuram’s daughters, the future suddenly feels fragile. “My two elder sisters could only study till Intermediate because of financial problems. After our father’s death, things seem to have become even worse,” she said.
“My younger brother Krishna wants to become a doctor, but now even completing school feels uncertain,” she added.
Chief engineer LESA (Gomti Nagar) Sushil Garg said strict action had been taken against the staff responsible for allowing Rawat to work without safety gear. Executive engineer Pritam Singh, sub-divisional officer Amitesh Singh, junior engineer Dharmendra Kumar, and technical staff member Dheeraj Kumar were suspended for not being present when the lineman was asked to work without protective gear.
During a LESA review meeting on Saturday, UPPCL chairman Ashish Goel also laid emphasis on the safety of working staff and directed that no staff should climb ladders to repair faults without safety equipment. The staff members at the substation were administered a pledge that they would not perform maintenance work without safety gear.
“The process to provide compensation is underway, and we will try to arrange a job for one of his daughters through the same agency,” Goel said.
