Chamoli electrocution tragedy: Firm official booked, govt orders safety audit

Dehradun: Chamoli Police on Thursday registered a case against the supervisor of a joint-venture company outsourced for operation and maintenance of the Namami Gange Sewerage Treatment Plant at Gopeshwar, a day after 16 people were killed and 11 injured after getting electrocuted, officials said.

The Uttarakhand government has ordered a safety audit of all sewage treatment plants (STPs) in the Himalayan state, chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami told reporters on Thursday, after meeting families of the victims. “A magisterial probe has been ordered in the incident. We will reach the bottom of the matter. Those found guilty in the probe will face strict action,” he said.

On Thursday, a first information report (FIR) was registered under Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and relevant sections of the Dangerous Machines (Regulation) Act, 1983, against Pawan Chamola, supervisor of the joint-venture company, and other unidentified officials, a senior police officer said.

“We have filed the FIR. Appropriate action will be taken,” Chamoli superintendent of police Pramendra Dobhal said.

Operation and maintenance of the Gopeshwar STP is outsourced to a joint venture of Patiala-based Jai Bhushan Malik Contractors and Coimbatore-based Confident Engineering India Pvt. Ltd, officials said.

“It is a false FIR. All allegations levelled against me are not true,” accused Pawan Chamola told HT.

The sewerage treatment plant (STP) with a capacity of 0.5 megalitres per day was set up under the Namami Gange project in 2019 and handed over to the Uttarakhand Jal Sansthan in 2021, with electricity provided to it by the Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL).

Uttarakhand Jal Sansthan suspended its additional assistant engineer Hardev Lal with immediate effect. “Prima facie, Hardev Lal has been found guilty of negligence in the execution of his duties,” an order issued by Jal Sansthan’s chief general manager Nilima Garg said.

Lal was entrusted with the responsibility of monitoring of the firm’s work at STP.

Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL) has also suspended its junior engineer in-charge Kundan Singh Rawat for “negligence”.

On Wednesday morning, 15 people were electrocuted and 11 others injured at the Namami Gange STP, located on the banks of the Alaknanda. They had gathered at the plant as the police were investigation the electrocution of the lone security guard at the STP, Ganesh Lal, the night before.

UPCL executive engineer Amit Saxena on Thursday said, “Our stand is the same that we were never informed by STP outsourced company and Jal Sansthan never informed us about the first electrocution incident. Even our lineman visited the site. He wasn’t told the operator-cum-guard died due to electrocution.”

On the UPCL’s allegation, Chamola said, “The UPCL’s lineman visited the site when everybody including police gathered there on Wednesday morning. How come the UPCL now claim that they didn’t know about the first electrocution incident.”

In the wake of the Chamoli electrocution incident, Uttarakhand chief secretary SS Sandhu also instructed all additional chief secretaries, principal secretaries and secretaries for the examination of safety standards of the power supply system in all projects, institutions, and government offices.

Sandhu said it should be done without any delay and all concerned officials should submit a proof of certification in this regard in a maximum period of one week. “The exercise should be repeated after every three months as per the department standards,” he said.