Mumbai : Kiran Nagaonkar, who works as deputy executive engineer of Mahavitaran (the state government’s power distribution company) at the Vasai Urban Subdivision, is known for her hard work and uprightness. She has made it her life’s work to provide better services to Mahavitaran’s consumers. She personally attends breakdowns even during nights, just so that the consumers may sleep peacefully in their homes.
Kiran Nagaonkar, deputy executive engineer of Mahavitaran at Vasai |
This young and dynamic lady in her early ’30s is praised by all because she is always available to give her consumers a hearing, whether at work or on the phone. The consumers, in turn, are happy because their complaints related to billing, breakdowns and poor voltage have been reduced to a great extent, thanks to Kiran’s unstinting efforts. Typically, complaining customers approaching her are highly likely to return smiling as their issues are swiftly and satisfactorily resolved.
Kiran, who is the eldest daughter of millworker Devdas Sarankar, was forced to work from a very young age to help the family, as her father lost his livelihood in the mill strike. It was her mother Alka, who ensured that Kiran and her two sisters got an English medium education. Born and brought up in an Agripada chawl, Kiran justified her mother’s faith in her and went on from school to study engineering, obtaining her BE in Electrical and Power, from the Sardar Patel College of Engineering.
Later, she married Dr. Harish Nagankar, a homeopathic consultant. She completed her M.Tech in Power Systems from VJTI after her marriage. Six years ago, she joined Mahavitaran as a junior engineer at Vasai. The initial two years were very tough, as this area has witnessed irate consumers attacking the offices of Mahavitaran after power breakdowns.
Kiran studied the problem of these frequent breakdowns and sought to unearth the reason. “After a power breakdown, consumers would call our office and if nobody answered the call, they would get angry. I changed this. I started answering these calls personally. Consumers would later call me directly on my mobile. Sometimes, they would doubt my claim about our staff working on the problem, so I would request them to accompany me to the spot. I have shown them how our staff works in tough conditions, risking their life and limb. People would then understand how tough our job is, after a power breakdown,” she reminsces about the early days.
Two years ago, she cleared the exam held for deputy executive engineer and as per her request, was posted at Vasai. Generally, women engineers in Mahavitaran avoid field postings, but she was firm about a field job.
“The public in our area were surprised to see a lady engineer at the problem spot late in the night. I have personally experienced many times that when she says power will be restored within 10 or 20 minutes, it proves correct,” says Domnica Dabre, a well-known social worker in the region and former chairperson of the Basseil Catholic Bank. ” She is dashing and will go on field visits at any time, on her scooty. I rarely accompany her. During Christmas last year, she was on field duty almost all night, to ensure that the celebrations should not be affected by a power cut, ” her husband, Dr Harish Nagaonkar, says proudly. Her children, Krishali and Sahil, and her inlaws are very cooperative and extremely supportive.
Vasaigaon and its surroundings are known for their greenery. The city is home to a large number of old trees. These are good for residents, as they provide relief from the glare of the sun in the daytime. But for Mahavitaran, they pose hurdles in maintenance, as the branches frequently come into contact with overhead electric conductors and cause tripping. This is more so during the monsoon. When gusty winds and heavy showers shake trees, they collide with overhead conductors and the latter snap. Rains and heavy winds bring many troubles to the Mahavitaran workers, who then have to spend their nights trying to locate faults and attending to breakdowns.
However, Kiran has come up with a simple solution to the said problem in her area. She insists on advance preparation: Maintenance work is taken up well ahead of the rains. Tree branches are trimmed in a timely manner. She also remains in touch with other government agencies and civic bodies for the purpose of obtaining clearances. This has reduced breakdowns and tripping to a great extent. However, in the event of an outage, she tries to respond personally, even if it is in the middle of the night. Her presence on the spot is a morale-booster for her staff and work gets completed speedily. Her dedication to her job has smoothened matters at the Mahavitaran office – gone are the days of angry public morchas and attacks and there is no need for police protection in the event of a power breakdown, as was the case in the past.
Pramod Chunchuwar
