Power dept gets Rs 700 cr grant to modernise generation & distribution

Kolkata: The state government has given Rs 700 crore to the state Power department for modernisation of generation and distribution of power in the state. A major objective behind the move is to reduce hazards in power generation and distribution.

"We are taking several steps to prevent fatalities due to electrocution. Workers in the electrical industry and power transmission and generation industry are most susceptible to occupational hazards created out of fly ash, carbon dioxide emission etc. The state government, in order to mitigate the risks in the electrical industry, is using AV cables and also dividing the length of transmission, thereby minimising the potential risk," state Power and Non-Conventional Energy Sources minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay said at the national conference on "Occupational Health and Safety- Towards a Healthy and Safe Workplace," organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) on Friday.

Elaborating on the steps taken by his department, the minister said they are using SEEDN technology which helps in locating the exact area of a fault while moving from the substation located at a particular area from where the fault has been reported.

The technology is equipped with a fault passage indicator, which helps in quickly identifying the location of the electric pole where there has been a problem. Earlier, engineers from the Power department had to travel long distances and check every single pole to identify the exact place where the fault had occurred.

"Our department, with the objective of sustainable and uninterrupted power connection, has taken up a project of underground cable system for power supply in 74 urban townships across the state. We have set a target of 2025 for completion of this underground power supply project. We are taking up an average of 11 urban townships a year for installing this facility and work is on full swing," a senior official in the department said.

Speakers at the seminar deliberated that globally, 340 million people are affected by occupational hazards and around 140 million people are affected by occupational diseases. This figure roughly leads to loss of 4 percent of GDP in a year. Thus, special emphasis on more research on this field is needed.

Also, industry academia partnership is the need of the hour for more integrated development of Occupational Health Hazards (OHH), they stated.