Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (SP)

Udupi, Mar 29: Chandrashekhar, attached to Mudarangady sub-station of Mescom, fell from a height of about 15 to 20 feet while spraying water by standing on the insulator pole, and suffered serious injuries. He was admitted into a hospital later. The incident occurred at Nandikoor power distribution sub-station on Monday March 28.

Mescom officials and staff were sprinkling water to insulators in the power distribution network at Nandikoor, when the incident occurred. Reportedly, Udupi Power Corporation Ltd (UPCL) is expected to put the sea water through reverse osmosis procedure, and use the water obtained after removing saline content, for power plant. However, reportedly, the company is using sea water in its boilers, as a result of which steam with saline content gets collected in the insulators. The saline content crystallises, and when the morning dew falls on them, the power line gets tripped, it is gathered.

Because of the saline steam coming out of UPCL boilers, the equipments in Nandikoor sub-station get transformed into galvanized iron, resulting in rusting. It is said that a tailor died of an electric accident, and another was injured last week here, because of fire breaking out due to the accumulation of saline water in power lines. Almost all the places  in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada district have been suffering due to frequent tripping of power lines, for which, Mescom has not come out with any specific reason so far.