Electricity field workers demand proper equipment & support

DIMAPUR, DECEMBER 8 (MExN): The All Nagaland Electricity Field Workers Association (ANEFWA) today expressed disappointment over the conditions under which they are made to work and demanded proper equipment and support in performing their duties.  

“Unless the government takes timely remedial measures in upgrading the transformers and lines, and issue us with adequate equipment, materials tools, and if agitation is the only language that the government shall understand, then we shall be compelled to agitate,” a press note from the ANEFWA cautioned.  

The association stated that over the years, many of field workers have died of fatal accidents while on duty, and many more badly injured, some handicapped for life, by electrocution.  

“We are practically on 24 hours duty, and we are frequently called for duties at odd hours, even while we are having our meals at home- morning or night. But we always respond and try our best in the interest of public service. We also risk our lives almost on a daily basis whenever we climb rusted and near broken poles for line maintenance works. We work in the jungles during rainy days to clear trees and bamboos. We work in shifts during holidays, away from our friends and families,” the association said.  

Despite this, the ANEFWA lamented that the workers are meted with “undue harassment, insults, and neglect.” “We are never expecting nor demanding medals or cash awards. But all we request is adequate working materials and equipment, adequate number of staffs, our service conditions and due recognition of our services- which till today, the government of the day has never taken seriously,” it said.  

It informed that the association’s plea to provide fuse wires to attend fuse call duties are barely met and that they are asked to maintain transformers without transformer oil and necessary protective systems. “We are asked to climb poles without safety gear, we are compelled to work in the rains in open without raincoats, we undertake line checking and restoration duties on hired vehicles as departmental vehicles are not sufficient, and the list goes on,” it added.  

Further, the ANEFWA lamented that despite years of requests, the government still refuses to recognize them as operation & maintenance staff, but as under “Work- Charge,” which the association said is “technically totally wrong.”  

“We are not charged against works, but we are day in and day out working for operations and maintenance of power supply across the state,” it said.  

To provide electricity to all 1500 villages in the state, the ANEFWA meanwhile maintained would require at least 6,000 field workers. “But we have only about 3,200.While we are short of staff, VIPs have requisitioned some for their personal works on attachment,” the association revealed. It demanded that this should not be the case and that those attached be immediately released to the department.  

The association further lamented that during blackouts due to overloaded distribution transformers, LT lines and even HT lines, the “public harass us for no fault of ours. We can no longer take this wrongful and harassment.”  

“We do not claim that 100% of our members are equally efficient. Maybe 1% or 2% are failing in their proper duties as with any other organization,” it acknowledged. It however viewed that punishing 99% of the workers for this is “total injustice.”  

These issues, the ANFEWA stated, have been intimated to the government through multiple memos. It however said that the government has remained silent.