Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Dadasaheb Kale, assistant engineer at the Railway Station Branch of the Maharashtra Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL), has been suspended for dereliction of duty during the Lok Sabha elections.
MSEDCL superintendent engineer Shantilal Chaudhary stated that Kale, as the branch head, failed to ensure uninterrupted power supply to the MIT College strong room, where EVMs were kept. This occurred despite a directive to assign round-the-clock duty staff. On May 15, between 7:30 and 8:30 pm, Kale reportedly damaged his car while leaving the strongroom area at MIT College. This incident raised concerns about his commitment to departmental integrity, especially during a crucial election period.
Later, a power outage also caused public frustration. Consumers faced a 12-hour blackout and were unable to reach the MSEDCL branch office through fuse call lines or mobile numbers. This resulted in protests at consumer sub-centers across the area. Superintendent Chaudhary, citing negligence, disobeying orders, and dereliction of duty, suspended Kale from service effective May 28.
The order states that the power outage tarnished MSEDCL’s image, and the company's failure to respond to customer calls further aggravated the situation.