Ganjam Bus Tragedy: 2 JEs among 4 officials suspended

Berhampur: A day after the bus tragedy in Ganjam that claimed at least 10 lives, the Odisha Government today suspended four officials, including two Junior Engineers (JEs) and a SDO for dereliction in duty.

As per information, four officials, including JEs Debashis  Nayak and Biswaranjan Mohapatra of SOUTHCO’s Berhampur Division and two SDOs of Rural Development Department have been placed under suspension. A high-level meeting was held in view of yesterday’s mishap under the chairmanship of Energy Minister Dibya Shankar Mishra today. The suspension decision  was taken at the meeting, said an official.

Earlier in the day, SOUTHCO submitted its preliminary inquiry report to the Energy Department holding the Rural Development Department responsible for the mishap. 

Besides, the state Government instructed that prior to any road widening or renovation work, clearance has to be obtained  from Electricity Department, Public Works Department (PWD), National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and Rural Development (RD) Department, as the case may be. Besides, all Superintending Engineers (SEs) have been directed to hold meetings and discuss on related issues  by February end. This apart, awareness campaigns and training will be held for all Linemen to avoid recurrence of such mishap in future.