Kathmandu, April 9

The country marked Electricity Safety Day today.

Addressing a programme jointly organised by Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) and Society of Electrical Engineers Nepal, Minister for Energy, Water Resource and Irrigation Barshaman Pun stressed on the provision of a third party insurance to reduce the liability of stated-owned power utility for its staff deployed on the field.

The Electricity Safety Day this year was marked under the slogan ‘electrical safety, leakage control and efficient use for productivity and prosperity.'

Minister Pun urged the concerned authorities to immediately initiate third party insurance for NEA field staffers. “It would be a remarkable achievement if we are able to implement electrical accident insurance for workers,” he added.

According to NEA, a total of 152 electrical accidents have been recorded since 2011, and the authority shelled out Rs 122 million in compensation to the accident victims.

In the current fiscal, eight people have been killed due to electrical accidents, of whom five were NEA staffers and three were general public.

According to NEA, thunderstorms and other natural phenomenon, weak electricity distribution system, hooking, use of cheap electrical equipment and lack of awareness were the main causes of death.