JAMMU, FEBRUARY 5: As part of its endeavours towards strengthening the capacity-building and training framework for power sector employees, under the guidance of Additional Chief Secretary PDD, Shailendra Kumar, the Power Development Department today organised a training programme on “Electrical Safety in Power Distribution Utilities” for the Engineers in Jammu.
Shailendra Kumar stressed that high-quality capacity-building programmes are essential not only for improving public service delivery but also for reducing losses in the sector. He emphasized that the safety of public and power sector personnel must remain paramount and training and capacity building should be institutionalized, structured and made mandatory for all the employees.
The ACS said that participation and performance of employees in training programmes must carry due weightage in their Annual Performance Reports. It was further instructed that support from reputed training institutes should be sought to strengthen the training framework wherever required.
In line with the above, the Chief Electrical Inspectorate (CEI) J&K organized this three day training programme focusing on safety awareness and regulatory compliance, in collaboration with reputed national-level training institute of the Ministry of Power, RECIPMT, Hyderabad.
In his opening remarks, CEI, PDD, Sanjay Sharma, stated that over the past five years, the power sector in J&K has witnessed significant positive change across all domains, including infrastructure strengthening, system modernization, introduction of IT interventions and development of state-of-the-art GIS grid stations.
He further highlighted that, in smart metering implementation, J&K has taken a major leap by achieving over 50% coverage of its consumer base. In addition, unsafe bare overhead conductors are being replaced with insulated AB cables, resulting in better reliability of power supply and enhanced public safety. He further stated that corporate functioning and contract management in the power sector have also improved substantially. While earlier the department was largely depending on CPSUs for execution of large-scale projects, the DISCOMs have now built sufficient capacity and capability to implement such projects independently, delivering works with competence and standards and the same has been demonstrated in implementation of RDSS Scheme.
He emphasized that alongside aforesaid reforms, safety has always remained top priority of the department which is further being strengthened by strategizing through providing hands-on training to the field employees by conducting training programmes in each and every district rather than in a centralized manner with special focus on strict adherence to SOPs.
The three day training programme, which commenced today, will provide a comprehensive in-depth understanding of the CEA (Measures relating to Safety and Electric Supply) Regulations 2023, covering each regulation in detail. On the opening day, it was emphasised that the safety regulations are not merely advisory guidelines but are statutory in nature, legally binding and strict adherence to these regulations is mandatory for all stakeholders, whether consumers or the department.
The participants were apprised of the provisions of Section 146 of the Electricity Act, 2003, highlighting the accountability and the legal consequences for non-compliance with safety and technical standards.
It was advised that feedback on actual on-ground implementation of the safety regulations by the trainees shall also be obtained to ensure compliance and to foster a culture of safety and regulatory discipline across the power sector.
The trainees also took a safety pledge on the occasion.
The sessions are led by resource persons Ajit Prasad Ganguly and M L Gupta from RECIPMT, Hyderabad.