TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: Power Minister Milind Naik promised that the government will buy all safety equipment necessary for protection of linesmen while they are on duty, in a bid to prevent accidents instead of the earlier practice of giving them money to buy such equipment.
Replying to BJP Calangute MLA Michael Lobo’s question on what steps the government was going to take to prevent deaths of linesmen given that four employees had died in the last 15 days, the minister said that the government used to give them an amount of Rs 1,200 (enhanced from the earlier amount) for buying safety equipment. This amount was calculated to be enough to buy gloves, etc. However, now probably since this was not being properly utilised, the government was planning on buying the equipment and giving it to the linesmen.
Naik also informed that the government had insured all linesmen and in case of fatal accidents while on duty, there was a workmen’s compensation amount that was Rs 5 lakh.
Lobo had brought to the notice of the house that four linesmen had died in the line of duty with three dying on the spot, and one breathing his last on Monday.
“Electricity department should give gloves, helmet, etc,” Lobo had said, while arguing that the linesmen were poorly equipped, a charge strongly denied by the power minister.
