Eight deaths, yet no one is responsible.
At least eight persons were electrocuted in Kolkata and the northern fringes following a heavy spell of rain that started on the night of September 19.
On Thursday, Bengal’s power minister said a report on the deaths blamed faulty internal wirings.
“We have got the report. All the deaths were caused because of internal wiring issues, the report has found. Any death is extremely unfortunate. But you have to understand one thing. We supply power to a home. The internal wiring is not our responsibility. If a wire snaps and dangles dangerously and leads to electrocution, then it is our responsibility,” Aroop Biswas said at the headquarters of the West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (WBSEDCL).
Some of the victims were electrocuted while charging their mobile phones. Cracks in the wiring of a doorbell, which was attached to the collapsible gate, is suspected to have caused the death of a man trying to open the gate.
But on September 22, two 12-year-old girls who were returning from tuition classes through a waterlogged street in Dum Dum were electrocuted when one of them accidentally came in contact with an iron post wrapped with a livewire.
CESC supplies power to Dum Dum. The remaining deaths were reported from areas served by the WBSEDCL.
On September 23, Biswas had told this newspaper that he had sought a detailed report on each electrocution death.
Asked about the death of the girls, Biswas said on Thursday: “We don’t erect poles. We take power to the poles. Local street lights are the responsibility of the local civic body or the panchayat.”
“We have issued an advisory to all municipalities, corporations and panchayats, district magistrates and police superintendents to take necessary steps to prevent such fatalities,” he said.
Electrocution has been the biggest killer in Kolkata after every spell of rain. Cyclone Amphan had caused 19 electrocution deaths in the city last year.
The deaths last month suggested nothing has changed. Officials of the civic bodies in Kolkata, Dum Dum and Bidhannagar said they had received an advisory from the power department for the upcoming festive season.
Some of the instructions:
- All pandals must have all electrical connections and distribution boxes and light installations thoroughly checked by certified electricians
- There cannot be any naked wires sticking out from any light posts or LED installations
- All lights above a passage or road to be used by pedestrians and motorists must be at least 12feet from the ground.
Biswas unveiled a central control room for the Puja at the state power utility’s headquarters. The control room will be operational 24X7 till October 15 (Ekadashi).
He provided some 24X7 helplines. The WBSEDCL helplines are 8900793503 and 8900793504 and the CESC helplines are 9831079666 and 9831083700.