Bhubaneswar: Taking a serious note of the incident of power outrage during President Droupadi Murmu’s address at the Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanja Deo University (MSCB) in Baripada, Odisha Governor Ganeshi Lal has reportedly sought a report over the matter.
According to sources, the Odisha Governor has sought a report from Odisha Chief Secretary Pradeep Kumar Jena and Vice Chancellor (VC) of MSCB University Santosh Kumar Tripathy. He has asked the duo to submit the reports within 7 days.
It is to be noted here the President, who was on a three-day visit to her home district, was addressing the gathering on the 12th convocation day of the University. In the meantime, the auditorium went into darkness for nine minutes between 11.56 AM and 12.05 PM.
The Governor was also attending the program had had just addressed the audience before the President. The President’s security guards, ADCs and support staff were not visible due to the power outrage even though she continued her speech using the podium’s dim light.
As per the preliminary investigation, authorities of the University had arranged and were using a backup generator set during the convocation program. However, it developed some technical snag during the President’s speech. Soon, the generator of the University was switched on but it did not work. Employees and technicians of The Tata Power North Odisha Distribution Limited (TPNODL) were on standby to restore power.
Later, the VC apologised for the incident clarifying that there were alternative arrangements. Yet, how come still the outage took place will be probed. A three-member committee has been formed for the probe. The committee will file its finding by May 12.
Ms Kalinga