Lucknow Fire: UP Power Employees Oppose Suspension Of Official, Call It Unjustified

After the Lucknow fire claimed 15 lives, the UP power employees' body called the suspension of an official unfair, saying there is no evidence linking him directly to the incident.

Conflict over an official's suspension after the Lucknow fire claimed 15 lives on Monday

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Key points generated by AI, verified by newsroom

• Lucknow fire killed fifteen; four officials faced suspension.
• Power committee deems engineer's suspension unjustified and hasty.
• They cite systemic failures and building owner's responsibility.

Lucknow: The Vidyut Karmachari Sanyukt Sangharsh Samiti of Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday described the suspension of an official connected to the fire incident in Lucknow, which claimed 15 lives, as unjustified, factually incorrect, and a hasty administrative action.

"The suspension of the executive engineer (collection), Jankipuram Zone, in connection with the incident is unjustified, factually incorrect, and a hasty administrative action. The committee firmly believes that, based on the available facts, the concerned engineer bears no direct responsibility for the fire accident," the committee said in a statement on Tuesday.

The Sangharsh Samiti pointed out that the premises had a valid commercial electricity connection since 2016, with a sanctioned load enhancement of up to 20 kW.

However, under the current system implemented after vertical restructuring, the executive engineer typically receives demand-related information only in July. Consequently, any action regarding load enhancement or related issues could only be initiated according to prescribed procedures after that time.

Given these circumstances, holding the executive engineer responsible for an incident that occurred in June is not supported by the facts, the committee stated.

According to preliminary information, the fire appears to have been caused by a short circuit or a defect in the building's internal electrical system, the committee noted, stating that the responsibility for maintaining internal wiring, electrical equipment, fire safety systems, and compliance with safety standards lies with the building owner.

Additionally, the electrical safety directorate is responsible for issuing safety clearances and conducting required inspections, the statement mentioned.

The committee also rejected the allegation in the suspension order, which claimed that the executive engineer failed to act despite knowing that electricity consumption exceeded the sanctioned load.

They noted that under the current vertical structure of the power corporation, the executive engineer does not automatically receive real-time information regarding the actual load being consumed by customers.

The committee stated that if a consumer is using electricity beyond the sanctioned load and the relevant information does not reach the concerned officer in time, it is essential to examine deficiencies in the vertical structure and failures in the information-sharing mechanism. "Suspending an officer without examining these systemic issues cannot be considered a fair administrative process," they added.

The committee called for a high-level, impartial, and expert technical inquiry into the incident, urging that no officer or employee should be made a scapegoat before the investigation is complete. "Responsibility must be determined solely on the basis of facts, technical evidence, and due legal process," the statement said.

Four officials were suspended in connection with the fire tragedy in Lucknow, which claimed 15 lives on Monday afternoon.

"On the directions of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, four persons have been suspended with immediate effect. They are: Gaurav Kumar (Executive Engineer Collection of Electricity Department), Kamlendra Kumar Singh, FSSO (Fire Department) Indira Nagar, Anil Kumar AE (LDA), and Pramod Kumar JE(LDA)," the UP government had said in a statement.

Preliminary information suggested the fire may have started in the building's AC duct, and the smoke led to suffocation due to the absence of a proper exit route, UP Urban Development and Energy Minister A K Sharma had said on Monday, adding possible lapses in building standards would be probed. 

(Disclaimer: This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)