PIONEER NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
The Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Lansdowne MLA Dilip Rawat has accused several irregularities in the functioning of Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL), following the recent tragic death of a lineman due to electrocution. In a video that went viral on social media on Thursday, Rawat claimed that temporary appointments of managing directors and directors are being made in UPCL, with these posts allegedly being distributed in exchange for money.
Rawat’s strong statements came after 27-year-old Anil Negi, a resident of Kutinda village in Pauri district, lost his life on June 16 while on duty. Negi, employed as a contractual worker with UPCL, was repairing an electric line in the Rikhnikhal when he climbed a pole and was fatally electrocuted. His father, Ranjit Singh Negi, also works in the same department and the two were living together in Rikhnikhal. The MLA called the incident extremely unfortunate and directly blamed UPCL for the gross negligence. “A young man in my constituency died due to electrocution while on duty.
This is sheer carelessness on UPCL’s part. Appointments of engineers and senior officials are being made arbitrarily, junior engineers are coming from one place and sub divisional officers (SDOs) from another and no section of UPCL is functioning properly,” Rawat said. He claimed that he had already raised the issue with the UPCL MD but no action was taken in this regard. The MLA also raised questions about systemic negligence and accountability within UPCL.
