Telangana power wing must pay for electrocution deaths

Hyderabad: On Tuesday, in yet another such case in King Koti, a linesman came in contact with a live wire while on duty and died on the spot. The body was found entangled in wires.  The Telangana State Electricity Board is not liable for deaths and injuries caused due to electrocution.  Usually, in cases of death due to electrocution, compensation is paid by the board only if it is announced by the head of a department and in case of citizens, a police complaint is filed. In 2017, The Allahabad High Court, while responding to a writ petition, issued directions to the state that electrocution by live wires necessitates strict liability, i.e., the electricity department would be liable irrespective of whether the harm occurred due to negligence of the victim or whether all necessary precautions had been taken by the board.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle Navdeep Singh, a social activist who has been fighting for the cause of high compensation in case of a death due to electrocution, said, “The electricity board is a state-run authorised body that supplies electricity.” “The board must be held responsible first for safety measures at all substations, vulnerable points and dangerously dangling live wires,” he said.

“Secondly, Board should be liable to compensate for any death or injury caused due to the transmission of energy. The compensation must include loss of future earnings, medical expenses, loss of amenities of life, needs to be taken into consideration while calculating the amount of compensation to be awarded,” he added.

Linesman dies of electric shock

A contract employee of Telangana State Power Distribution Corporation Limited (TSSPDCL) died of electrocution while repairing a faulty electric line in the city. The deceased has been identified as P Bhumesh, 41. According to the police, Bhumesh, a field worker with TSSPDCL, was deputed at the Gun Foundry office and was attending a repair call at Parda Gate in King Koti. He climbed the pole and was repairing the lines.

Suddenly, he suffered an electric shock and hanged from a pole caught between the cables. Officials who noticed this immediately switched off the supply but Bhumesh had passed away. Narayanaguda police registered a case and handed over Bhumesh’s body to the family after an autopsy.