BHUBANESWAR/BARIPADA: In what was a huge embarrassment for the Odisha government, the auditorium of Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanja Deo University where President Droupadi Murmu was delivering her convocation speech plunged into darkness following a power outage, on Saturday.
The President, though, continued to speak with the help of a reading light fitted to the podium for about eight minutes as the organizers scrambled to fix the problem. Murmu was speaking at the 12th convocation of the university when the fault occurred and the hall went dark although the air-conditioners and sound system continued to function. The first citizen made light of the situation by saying the “lights seem envious” with the rapid strides the university has taken in creating modern infrastructure for students and entrepreneurs.
As the auditorium remained in darkness from 11.56 am to 12.04 pm, the President was unperturbed by disruption. She even recited a line from eminent poet Mayadhar Mansingh’s works: “Andhar jetiki aalua setiki ehi je gahana bana..” (There is illumination as much as darkness in the heart of forest..).After the fiasco went viral on social media and the poor arrangements drew flak, vice chancellor of the university Prof Santosh Tripathy apologised and assured action against those responsible for it.
The state government directed revenue divisional commissioner (RDC) Suresh Dalei to inquire into the incident. Dalei, who was present at the convocation, immediately convened a meeting with the VC, registrar, collector Vineet Bhardwaj and authorities of the power distribution company.
Dalei said there was no power failure at the venue, rather an internal wiring fault led to the blackout in the convocation hall. “The ACs and sound systems were functioning fine but a certain wiring fault led to the problem with the lighting systems. Necessary action will be taken after we get the inquiry report,” he said. Meanwhile, the university authorities disengaged outsourced electrician Jayant Tripathy over the incident.
A three-member team comprising the registrar, PG council chairman and development officer was formed to investigate lapses and fix responsibility. The team has submitted the preliminary inquiry report, which pointed at faults in the internal wiring and miniature circuit breaker (MCB).
Harish Kumar Panda, the superintending engineer of Tata Power Northern Odisha Distribution Ltd, the distribution company, too blamed the faults on the internal wiring of the auditorium. The university auditorium was built and maintained by state PSU Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Idco).
As if the chaos was not enough, several invitees were not allowed to enter the auditorium for the convocation. Saraswati Hembram, the first tribal woman minister from Mayurbhanj, too was barred from attending the convocation. An angry Hembram tore the invitation card as a mark of protest. Media persons were also not allowed to cover the event.
