DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

The All-India Power Engineering Federation AIPEF) has demanded the dismissal of MD HPPCL and Director (electrical) HPSEB who allegedly are instrumental in abetting Vimal Negi, chief engineer, for committing suicide.

Suneel Grover, Patron, AIPEF and former MD HPSEBL, has submitted an affidavit before ACS (Home/Revenue), inquiry officer, at Shimla on Tuesday regarding the unfortunate circumstances surrounding the death of

Vimal Negi CE.

VK Gupta, Media incharge of AIPEF, disclosing this said that most of the engineers have opined that while the punishment of summary dismissal is fully justified and further punishment of criminal proceedings need to be launched against these two officers to put them behind bars.

Gupta said the tragic and untimely passing away of serving chief engineer of HPSEBL has come as a rude jolt to the power engineers of the state as well as the country.

Gupta said as chief engineer Negi was reporting to Director (Electrical), and Managing Director (MD), HPPCL, the two officers who in the past have been embroiled in various controversies. Negi was facing the problem of organised corporate corruption, a hostile working environment, and extreme workplace harassment which left him with no other option but to make the ultimate sacrifice to bring the spotlight on the corruption infesting HPPCL.

VK Gupta said the tragedy that has befallen on Negi seems to be a result of coercion exerted by MD, and his henchman Director (Electrical) on an upright and technically competent officer to follow their dictates at the cost of technical and financial prudence, and asking him to sign various papers and threatening him with dire consequences. The main reason for the time and cost overrun of projects has been the rampant corruption and lackadaisical attitude of management of HPPCL during the last about three years.

The various facts narrated above were also highlighted by Tarun Shridhar, Director General of Indian Food and Agriculture Council and former officer of Indian Administrative Service in his aptly titled article "Hume Kshama Kar Dena Vimal Negi.

(editor@dailyworld.in)