BHUBANESWAR: The State Government has made a set of recommendations to the Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC) for enhanced financial assistance for death or injuries due to electrical accidents.
Replying to a debate on opposition BJP sponsored adjournment notice, Minister of State for Energy Dibya Shankar Mishra said in case of death due to electrocution, the next of kin of the deceased will be entitled to get an ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh whereas persons with 60 per cent and 40 per cent to 60 per cent disability will get a compensation of `2 lakh and `59,100 respectively.
On hospitalisation of injured persons for more than one week, the patient will get an assistance of Rs 12,700 whereas the amount has been fixed at Rs 4,300 for a stay less than a week.
Similarly, the government has made recommendations to OERC for compensation against the loss of livestock due to electric shock.
As per the recommendations, compensation of Rs 30,000 for death of cow and buffaloes, Rs 25,000 for draught animals including bullocks, camel and horse and Rs 50 per poultry bird will be paid.
The compensation will be paid by power distribution companies.
“We expect that a decision from OERC will come within a month’s time,” Mishra said.
Highlighting the measures taken by the government for fixing sagging lines, the Energy Minister said training modules have been prepared for junior engineers and linesmen to prevent electrical accidents.
Explaining that accidents occurred either due to technical problem or human error, the Minister said he held a video conference with all district collectors and superintending engineers and other senior officers of the distribution companies for conducting survey across the State to find out the status of transmission and distribution lines and take urgent measures to fix problems wherever necessary.
As soon as Speaker SN Patro allowed the Minister of Commerce and Transport Padmanabha Behera to give his reply to the adjournment notice, senior Congress leader SS Saluja through a point of order sought to know why the Transport Minister was assigned the job when the Ganjam bus tragedy was the outcome of the failure of the Energy department.
The Congress MLA requested the Speaker to direct the Energy Minister to reply to the notice.
The Speaker said the Government is the collective responsibility of council of ministers. There is nothing wrong to assign the job to the Transport Minister and the tragedy occurred in a passenger bus.
Not satisfied with the response of the Speaker, the Congress and BJP members staged a walkout. As repeated requests by the Speaker to the opposition members to participate in discussion yield no result, he asked Behera to proceed with his reply.
Compensation
Rs 4 lakh for death due to electrocution
Rs 2 lakh for 60 per cent disability
Rs 59,100 for 40 to 60 per cent disability
Rs 30,000 for death of cow and buffalo
Rs 25,000 for draught animals
Rs 50 per poultry bird