CHENNAI: The recent electrocution deaths of two contract employees engaged in maintenance work on an 11-kV power line along the Olaiyur Ring Road in Tiruchy district has brought the focus back on the avoidable yet recurring mortalities of the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board’s workers.
While data obtained by TNIE revealed that as many as 87 employees died in the three-year period from 2021-22 to 2023-24, this number is likely to be an underestimation since TNEB doesn’t count deaths of contract labourers as employee deaths.
For instance, the recent deaths of Kalaimani (42) and Manickam (37), both contract labourers who previously worked with the state highways department and then with TNEB, will not go on record as TNEB employee deaths.
‘TNEB facing mortalities due to violation of rules’
Earlier this year, TNIE had reported that fatal accidents related to the TNEB, including those involving employees and the public, was increasing at the rate of 8% to 10% every year for the past three years. Workers and staff associations have raised concerns over safety measures adopted by TNEB and its engagement of unskilled, temporary workers for high-risk tasks. They also urged the board to address long-pending issues of staff shortages, high work pressure and inadequate employee training.
S Nagalsamy, former member of the Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission criticised the board for failing to learn from past incidents. “TNEB has had several such bitter experiences, yet no lessons have been learnt,” he said. “The contract system should be scrapped and vacancies must be filled at the earliest to prevent such incidents and reduce the workload on existing employees,” Nagalsamy added.
R Murali Krishnan, former all-India president of the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), echoed similar concerns. “As per the rules, contract labourers should not be employed at TNEB. Since 2002, the utility has claimed there are no contract labourers, but work is still being assigned to contractors through agreements, which is in violation of regulations,” he alleged. He also claimed that it was this disregard to rules that leads to TNEB continuously facing such mortalities. TNEB officials, however, attributed the Tiruchy incident to alleged non-adherence to safety protocols and failure to use safety equipment.
TNPDCL gives nod for more compensation
The Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (TNPDCL), during its 126th board meeting held on November 25, approved an increase in compensation for legal heirs of individuals and animals affected by electrical or mechanical accidents. Official orders in this regard were issued on Saturday. Under the revised policy, the compensation for fatal accidents has been doubled from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh. For non-fatal accidents, the amount has been raised from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 3 lakh, while compensation for the loss of one limb or an eye has been increased from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.5 lakh.