CHANDIGARH: Amid a record surge in COVID-19 cases in the country, around 1000 employees working in the power sector have died and more than 15000 employees have tested positive for the virus said V K Gupta Spokesperson of the All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) on Friday.
In Maharashtra, a total of more than 7100 power employees are corona positive and about 210 have died. In Uttar Pradesh, more than 4000 power sector employees are suffering from coronavirus and there are 140 casualties. In the list of casualties, there are at least three chief engineers (2 from Uttar Pradesh and 1 from Haryana ), more than two dozen superintending engineers including 9 from Uttar Pradesh.
In Haryana, 20 employees of Nigams have died and 900 employees are affected by a coronavirus.In Punjab, 700 employees are bedridden with corona and there are about 20 casualties.
The All India Power Engineers Federation has written to the Prime Minister and Union Power Minister requesting all the states be directed to hold mass vaccination camps to cover the electricity personnel on top priority
and be treated as front-line workers. On the directive of the union power ministry, the central sector utilities like NTPC and power grid have already started these exclusive vaccination camps for their employees and families.
AIPEF has urged all the chief ministers to urgently direct the state health authorities to treat power sector employees as frontline workers and they should be given priority in vaccination.
The union power secretary in his DO letter of 26th. to all the chief secretaries and power secretaries has acknowledged the role of electricity personnel in maintaining power supply and directing that every state should hold mass vaccination camps to cover the electricity personnel on top priority.
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The federation has written to the Ministry of power and all state governments asking for a compensation of Rs.50 lakh for every employee who dies of coronavirus.