Power officials demand bribe, probe ordered

Kolkata: State power minister Shobhandeb Chattopadhyay on Wednesday ordered an inquiry following allegations against state power department officials of demanding bribe for electric supply to homes at Diamond Harbour in South 24 Parganas, where a youth died due to electrocution a day before.

On Wednesday, when Karim Syed Ansari, a teenaged boy, died after a live wire fell on him during a repair work by a power department team at Kamarpol in Sarisha, angry villagers went on rampage at West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (WBSEDCL)’s office and torched a vehicle also.

Mr Chattopadhyay had then given clean chit to his department. This time he said, “I have asked the department to conduct an inquiry into the allegations of bribery and submit a report in next 72 hours.” He also admitted his department’s lapses in providing power supply to all homes.

“In some areas there has been delay in supplying electricity. Supply of meters and wires are taking long time. We are trying to do it at the earliest,” Mr Chattopadhyay added. The minister’s move came after several villagers complained that the power department officials encouraged them to avail electric supply illegally from the live wires in exchange of bribe whenever they visited them with any complaint or plea.

In the morning, Karim’s father Sahabuddin Ansari alleged, “I went to the power department’s office to apply for a sub meter as an event has been scheduled at my home. But my application was not accepted. I was asked to avail electric supply for `200 through power-theft.” He also showed a document issued by the department to avail alternate source of electricty.