A day after the bus tragedy in Ganjam district that claimed as many as 10 lives, the State Government on Monday suspended four officials, including two Junior Engineers (JEs) and two SDOs for dereliction of duty that led to the mishap.
The four officials are JEs Debashis Nayak and Biswaranjan Mohapatra of Southco Brahmapur and two SDOs of Rural Development (RD) Department.
Earlier in the day, the Southco submitted its preliminary enquiry report to the Energy Department blaming the RD Department for the mishap.
Besides, the Government instructed that prior to any road widening or renovation work, clearance has to be obtained from the Energy, Works and RD Departments and the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) as the case may be. Besides, all Superintending Engineers (SEs) have been directed to hold meetings on related issues by February-end. This apart, awareness camps and training will be held for all Linemen to prevent recurrence of such mishaps in future.
In another development, the Golanthara police registered a case in connection with the mishap. Taking suo motu cognisance of the incident, police registered a case under Sections 279, 304 (A), 337 and 338 of the IPC. The Brahamapur ASP would investigate the matter, said Brahmapur SP Pinak Mishra, adding that the driver of the bus was absconding after the mishap.
Power distribution agency Southco would examine the circumstances that led to the accident and appropriate action would be taken on the basis of the report, Mishra said.
Odisha Power Transmission Corporation (OPTCL) CMD Saurav Garg said the Southco has been asked to give a detailed report about the transmission line at the site, including the height of the 11-KV wire.
Notably, at least 10 persons, including six women, were electrocuted while 22 sustained injuries when the bus by which they were travelling came in contact with a power transmission line at Golanthara of Ganjam district. The victims were on their way from Jangalpadu to Chikarada village in the vehicle to attend an marriage engagement ceremony.
