Over 24 hours after three members of a family got electrocuted in their waterlogged home in Khardah in North 24 Parganas district, police and state electricity board officials did not seem to be in any hurry to find out what exactly caused the death.
A senior officer of the Barrackpore city police said police stations had been asked to coordinate with the West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company, the state-run power utility, to conduct an inquiry and create awareness. An official of the power department said “the incident happened inside a private consumer installation” and suggested it did not demand an immediate probe.
The waterlogged neighbourhood in Khardah on Wednesday The Telegraph
“I have asked the officers in charge of all police stations in my division to ask the electricity board concerned to conduct an inquiry into the matter and coordinate with them to create awareness among people so that such incidents can be averted,” said Aashish Maurya, deputy commissioner (central zone), Barrackpore city police.
Several families living in the same compound, whose ground-floor units are still flooded, have left their homes, scared after the three deaths. Many, who have no alternative, have been forced to stay back.
“Any of us can suffer the same fate. We still do not know how to secure ourselves while living in this waist-deep water for days. Yesterday, after the incident, the power supply was off for an hour, after which it was restored. We are scared if there is electricity, we are equally scared if there is no electricity as snakes are entering our homes,” said homemaker Mitun Sarkar, who lives a few blocks away from the Das’s home, where the tragedy struck.
Mitun, her husband — who works in the GPO — and their 18-year-old daughter shift to a relative’s house every night so he can reach his workplace in dry clothes. Once he leaves for office, the mother and the daughter return to spend the day in their waterlogged home.
The waterlogged neighbourhood in Khardah on Wednesday The Telegraph
Asked about the cause of Tuesday’s electrocution that killed Raja Das, 38, wife Poulami, 30, and their son Neel, 10, an official of the state power department said it was a ‘private consumer installation’ and the tragedy happened inside a private property.
“The incident happened inside the house. According to the protocol for an electrical accident, we have reported the matter to the police. That’s all we have to say regarding this case,” said the official who refused to be named.
The official said the power supply had been restored in the entire area by Wednesday and that they would take action if they received further complaints.
Soummo Patra, 23, a resident, said a foot infection because of long hours in the water and an overflowing commode forced him to move into a neighbour’s place.
“Every corner of the house is flooded from kitchen to washroom. There is no way we can use the washroom. I have developed an infection on my feet after I tried to stay at home in the water for the last few days,” he said.
