The electricity consumers should be requested to check their electrical installations’ wirings and water-logging near the electrical installation or if water is dripping on the meter box. A reminder by the Electricity Department engineers to make its consumers aware of the safety measures especially during the monsoons will be of great help.
Sometimes the Electricity Department engineers at the time of providing new electricity connection fail to check on how safe the meter box installation will be for the consumer. These violations are mostly noticed in multi-storey commercial or residential complexes where the builder gets away with the safety measures due to space and cost constraints by greasing the palms of the officials. Take the case of heavy showers that Goa has experienced in these few days, the water enters the building complex and nearly reaches the level of the meter box installation, which can likely lead to electrocution of the public or residents due to short-circuit.
Earlier, the Electricity Department allowed to install a main switch fuse unit to isolate the transformer, but now the service power supply line is directly connected to the distribution box. For such circumstances, the only option left to the department electrician is to isolate the transformer feeder depriving all others consumers of electric power supply. The department is to be blamed for giving permission to such complexes at the initial stage where the builder should have been asked to relocate the installation to the safe place at first.
Now the burden is on the owners of these premises to relocate the same. The department is washing its hands off before the accident happens. I hope the authorities will allow these complexes to fix a main switch fuse unit which can be sealed by the department to prevent misendeavours by the consumers for power thefts.
