Tamil Nadu - Ramanathapuram   

“Relay protection system has averted a disaster”

RAMANATHAPURAM: V. Sankara Narayanan, Superintending Engineer (in-charge), Tamil Nadu Electricity Board, Ramanathapuram, said that relay protection system had averted a disaster at the annual day celebration of a private primary school at Thiruppalakudi, where one person was electrocuted and 32 students were injured, owing to an electric shock recently.

He told The Hindu here on Monday that en enquiry had revealed that the organisers of the function tapped power illegally from the 11 KV high power transmission line.

They established connection when the load shedding was in force between 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. As a temporary arrangement, they ran the show with the help of a generator. The moment power supply resumed after 6 p.m., the function area was lit up with electric sparks from the wire, which was connected to the high power transmission line.

Mr. Narayanan said that a fortunate thing was that within no time of the resumption of power supply, a drip was noticed from a feeder line at the Devipattinam sub-station and the power was disconnected automatically and subsequently.

The drip occurred following the touch of an electric line (illegal line) with the earth. The good relay protection system, a safe method of power supply, saved a major accident. If system had not been installed, many would have been dead as the 11 KV (11000 voltage) would have been supplied through the HT line at the time of the accident.

He said a fact-finding report had been sent the Collector and the police authorities for taking action against those responsible for the accident.

R. Balasubramanian, Chief Educational Officer, Ramanathapuram district, said that the place, where the function was held, did not belong to the school. There were 500 students, including students of other schools, participated in the function. Though the conditional recognition was given to the school for the period up to 2011, the organisers didn't get permission from the police or other authorities for conducting the function.

A show-cause notice was sent to the school for failing to adhere to the rules and regulations stipulated in the recognition order. The school had been asked to close till further orders. If necessary, the students would be attached to a nearby school for conducting their annual examinations.

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