Will bear expenses of injured linemen: Chief Engineer KPDCL

Srinagar, Jan 13: Chief Engineer Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited (KPDCL) Aijaz Ahmed Dar Thursday said that the “expenses of all the injured linemen of the department has been borne by the department and in the fresh cases too, the department is duty bound to bear medical expenses” of a lineman from south Kashmir’s Kulgam district.

News agency KNO quoted Dar saying the corporation “is working to provide golden health cards to its all employees including linemen” saying they are covered under welfare fund scheme for meeting the health expenditures.

The KPDCL Chief Engineer’s assurance comes days after Greater Kashmir carried an exclusive story over the lack of compensation and safety gear to to the PDD daily wagers at the forefront.

The story published in Greater Kashmir’s Monday edition cited two such incidents wherein two linemen were injured while repairing transmission lines during recent snowfall.

On Sunday, lineman Shabir Ahmad Dar was grievously injured after falling off an electricity pole in his native village Bogund in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district.

The incident took place two days after Javaid Ahmad Sofi of Nowgam in Awantipora sustained injuries after falling off an electric pole in Khandaypora Panzgam village of south Kashmir’s Awantipora in Pulwama district.

The Chief Engineer Dar stated that “in the past too, the expenses of all the employees injured due to electric shock or while repairing lines, were borne by the department”.

He said that the department “will implement set Standard Operating Procedure (SoP) aggressively and procure latest equipment to minimize accidents and injuries to its staff including linemen while repairing the lines, transformers etc”.

“At times, the department tries to raise funds for the family help of injured employees and not for medical help. With new strategy in place, there will be a significant fall in accidents and injuries to employees in line of duty henceforth,” Dar added.