Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Rights panel rules against KSEB

Thiruvananthapuram: The State Human Rights Commission has directed the Chief Secretary to take disciplinary action against the Chairman and the Secretary of Kerala State Electricity Board for imposing load-shedding on the eve of Pulse Polio day, ignoring a written appeal from the Director of Health Services that load-shedding be avoided from January 3 to 9 on account of the national immunisation programme.

SHRC member S. Verghese gave this direction in a suo motu case taken by the commission over the government’s failure to ensure that there was no power cut on the eve of Pulse Polio day on January 6 as it was important to maintain the cold chain while storing oral polio vaccines. The vaccines have to reach the various primary health centres and booths the previous day itself and any break in the cold chain conditions could affect the potency of the vaccine, the SHRC pointed out.

It had asked the DHS and the Secretary of KSEB to appear before it at its sitting in Kollam on Wednesday. Though the DHS, K. Shailaja, appeared before the commission, only the standing counsel of KSEB put in an appearance.

The DHS pointed out that she had written to the Power Secretary on December 12 that load shedding should be avoided from January 3 to 9 so that there were no problems with vaccine storage. The said letter, with necessary instructions, had been forwarded by the Power Secretary to the KSEB Chairman on December 18.

However, the KSEB chose to ignore this directive from the Principal Secretary, Power, SHRC observed.

The action of KSEB amounted to serious human rights violation, which warranted disciplinary action against the officials responsible, S. Verghese said in his order.

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