Two days after a power outage disrupted a press conference by Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw at the state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters in Jaipur, the Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Prasaran Nigam (RRVPN) took action. An Assistant Engineer and an electrician were suspended, and another official received a charge sheet. The State Energy Minister Heeralal Nagar ordered an inquiry following the embarrassing power failures during the event on June 11.
A tripping incident at the 400 kV Grid Sub-Station (GSS) in Hirapura caused electricity supply to fail three times during the press conference. This forced the Union Railways Minister to interact with journalists in darkness for nearly 13 minutes, leading to criticism about the power transmission system’s reliability. A three-member committee investigated the incident and submitted a report, prompting RRVPN to initiate disciplinary measures.
The RRVPN suspended Assistant Engineer Vipin Verma and Electrician Grade-I officer Babu Singh, both stationed at the 400 kV GSS Hirapura, due to identified duty lapses. Additionally, a charge sheet was issued to R.P. Gupta, the Executive Engineer (XEN) responsible for Jaipur City, seeking an explanation for the incident. The power utility emphasized that the disciplinary action was based on established facts from the departmental inquiry.
The suspension order dictates that both officials will be stationed at the office of the Additional Chief Engineer (IT) at RRVPN in Jaipur during the suspension period. Rajasthan Energy Minister Heeralal Nagar emphasized zero tolerance for negligence in the power transmission system, frequent tripping incidents, and consumer inconvenience. He instructed officials to enhance the grid and transmission network and implement preventive measures to avoid similar incidents in the future.
“The power sector must operate with accountability. Stringent action will be taken against those accountable for any shortcomings,” stated the Minister. The incident, occurring during a public event with a Union Minister, highlighted vulnerabilities in the transmission system despite the presence of senior government officials and prior preparations.
