Transformer-related deaths increased in BJP tenure: Rajasthan minister of state for power Pushpendra Singh

Minister of state for power Pushpendra Singh on Wednesday said there has been 2,933 transformer related deaths in the state under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, up from 2,217 deaths during the previous Congress regime.

Singh blamed the higher number of deaths on people splitting the three-phase transformers to single-phase ones, which overloaded it.

“Instead of 100 MP they are drawing 150 to 200 MP which overloads the power transformers and it either get burnt or blows up due to which fatal accidents take place,” he said.

During the previous Congress regime there had been 1,071 deaths of department employees while in the BJP tenure 655 deaths had taken place, which was due to improvements undertaken by the government, he said.

Singh was replying to a question by Congress legislator Ghanshyam Mehar during Question Hour.

Mehar wanted to know the names of those killed in transformer blasts in the last four years as well as the compensation given to their families.

He asked if the government had taken any action against officials and transformer suppliers found guilty in these accidents.

Singh said the government had acted quickly after a transformer blast accident in Jaipur’s Khatulai village in which 14 people were killed in November.

He said two engineers and the feeder in-charge were suspended and the transformers had been sent for inspection to a central laboratory.

“A show cause notice of 30 days has been issued to the transformer manufacturing company and we will soon blacklist the firm after it sends its reply,” he said.

In 962 accident cases in the Jaipur circle, 378 people had been given compensation while in 200 cases investigation was pending, the minister said.

In 384 cases, the demand for compensation had been dismissed, he said, adding that investigation in the pending cases will be completed within two months.

Compensation of ₹ 5 lakh that was paid for servicemen, was hiked to ₹ 10 lakh by previous Congress government, has now been enhanced to₹20 lakh by the BJP government, Singh said.

He further said that steps like feeder improvement programme had reduced feeder losses, meters had been installed on transformers, new poles have been erected, conductors changed and overlining of transformers had been done.

The government has decided that if a transformer breaks down during the guarantee period, it will not be repaired but will be replaced with a new one, he said.

Mehar, however, claimed that the government had not punished the guilty.

No responsibility had been fixed by the government and the minister was not answering his questions, he said.