Kerala: KSEB staff's mass casual leave for trip leads to 16-hour power failure

Thirteen staff members at the KSEB Perumeedu Section Office in Idukki received show-cause notices for taking group leave without prior permission from seniors. The staff present in the section did not take any action after knowing about the 16-hour power failure.  

Idukki: A show cause notice was issued to Kerala State Electricity Board ( KSEB) officers in the Peerumedu Section Office for taking group leave and going on a trip without prior permission from senior officers. As a part of the investigation, the executive engineer has issued notices to 13 staff members in Peerumedu.

The show cause notice was issued to those who did not sign the attendance book at the Peerumedu Section office on the afternoon of September 1, when the yellow alert was announced in Idukki, and those who took leave on September 2 without prior permission on the second day. The Executive Engineer has sought an explanation from the two persons assigned to telephone duty in the section office on September 1.

The notice was issued after the complaints of the customers, who called the section office at Pothupara to inquire about the reason for the power outage for several hours and were told that they could not fix the problem as everyone was on tour. The disciplinary action will be taken on that basis.

Two people, including a sub-engineer, overseer, linemen, and workers of the Peerumedu section, went to Rameswaram without informing the higher officials. Due to heavy rain, there was no electricity in Peerumedu at 4 p.m. on Friday. However, the complaint is that the staff who were present in the area of the section office at this time, despite knowing the information, did not take any action to resolve the problem. The electricity connection was restored at the taluk headquarters only after 16 hours as there were no employees. Excise had handed over the preliminary report to the executive engineer after taking the statements of the employees, including the assistant engineer. This report has also been submitted to the higher officials of KSEB.