Policy aims to prevent reoccurrence of Chamoli STP electrocution incident
Wednesday, 02 AUGUST 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Taking lessons from the electrocution incident in Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) of Chamoli that claimed 16 lives, the Uttarakhand government has decided to formulate a special policy for the work executing agencies that will clearly demarcate the civil and the electrical works in the construction projects.
The policy will help in adhering to safety standards of highest order, training of employees and labourers and regular inspections for testing of safety standards and procedure in the construction projects. A decision in this regard was taken in a high level meeting of officers of all the executing agencies operational in the State at the secretariat on Tuesday. The meeting was convened on the orders of the chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami that all measures to prevent reoccurrence of Chamoli electrocution incident should be taken. The additional chief secretary Radha Raturi chaired the meeting.
In the meeting it came to the fore that the work executing agencies club the electric works with the civil works and a single estimate of the entire project is made due to which the electrical safety standards are sometimes not followed properly. It is also seen that the civil contractors usually do the electrical works also. In the meeting the ACS took suggestions from the officers of work execution agencies to make changes in this practice.
On a stren note Raturi said that safety standards of highest order are set in place and they should be adhered to. She added that the safety standards should continue to remain as per the standards even after the completion of the projects. The ACS said that the workers deployed in the buildings, projects and machinery after the completion of projects should be trained about the safety norms. She said that due to the practice of making a single estimate of electrical and civil works it is generally seen that the electrical contractors who are experts in their field get deprived of work. A change in the system of work execution will help in ensuring their expertise in electrical works.
The meeting was attended by secretary V Shanmugam, additional secretary Jagdish Kandpal and officers of executing agencies.
