Baripada: Two days after a tusker was electrocuted after coming in contact with an 11kv wire in Sunaposi forest under Baripada forest division, a junior engineer of the energy department was suspended.
However, Odisha Bidyut Nigam Jantri Sangh, a body of electrical engineers, has come in support of the suspended JE Padma Kishore Jena Saturday. The Sangh claimed that Jena was innocent.
A press meet held here Saturday, State president of the Sangh, Balaram Prasad Basu Mallick, general secretary of Nesco Utility Zone Sk Abdul Mohin and vice-president Sunil Kumar Pradhan held the Baripada DFO, superintending engineer of the energy department and executive engineer responsible for the elephant casualty. They claimed the JE was being unnecessarily blamed.
The Sangh also explained that though the JE had apprised his higher-ups at different times in the past about repair of transmission lines, no attention has been paid to him.
They demanded immediate revocation of the suspension order and a high level probe into the incident.
The Sangh demanded action against the superintending engineer and the executive engineer.
However, DFO Swayam Mallick asserted that after preliminary investigation, the JE was found to have neglected his duty. A police complaint was filed against the JE on the basis of evidence and witnesses, he added. Later, the JE was suspended by the department.
The forest department had produced evidence that officials of both the departments had exchanged words through a WhatsApp group and even had telephonic conversations about the presence of an elephant in a forest. It had claimed no preventive steps had been taken by the energy department, resulting in the death of the pachyderm.
PNN
