An Assistant Engineer (AE) of the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) has attempted suicide at his office at Kavanoor near here, accusing higher officials of torturing him by refusing to send his bills for payment and relieve him on his transfer to Chennai.
“I decide to finish my life.. am not able to tolerate the torture given by Executive Engineer (EE) Dakshinamoorthy, Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) Ramasubbu and Draftsman Lourdu Xaviour,” said Karthik Ganesh, the AE in his SMS to Union leader H John Soundararaj before consuming sleeping pills on Wednesday.
Mr. Ganesh, who came to the office around 9 a.m., consumed the pills in the office, adjacent to the office of Mr. Dakshinamoorthy. On being informed, the EE rushed him to Government Hospital at Paramakudi. Hospital sources said his condition was stable.
Mr. Soundararaj, State vice-president of CITU-TANGEDCO, alleged that Mr. Ganesh was asked to hold additional charges as AE (Lines, Paramakudi), AEE (Maintenance-Kavanoor) and AEE (Shift – Kavanoor), but was denied due benefits. The EE and others also held back the bills submitted by the AE for hiring cars for field work, he said. The EE was yet to relieve Mr. Ganesh despite an order from the Superintendent Engineer, Mr. Soundararaj said and demanded action against him and two others.
Denying the charges, Mr. Dakshinamoorthy said the AE, who was facing huge debt burden, demanded and got additional charges so that he could earn extra money.
The travel bills submitted by Mr. Ganesh could not be sent due to discrepancies, he said. The AE could not be relieved on transfer as there were charges against him, Mr. Dakshinamoorthy said. The district crime branch registered a case against Mr. Ganesh in a cheating case and he had moved the Madurai Bench of Madras high court seeking anticipatory bail, Mr. Dakshinamoorthy said.
