Chitlapakkam death: Minister claims lorry hit pole, victim’s wife refutes

A day after the electrocution of a man when an electric pole collapsed led to furore among the people, Electricity Minister P Thangamani claimed on Wednesday that the pole fell on Sethu Rajan of Chitlapakkam because a lorry hit a tree branch which in turn fell on the power line leading to the accident. However, the victim’s wife Sangareshwari challenged the claim, pointing out that lorries cannot enter their street as it is a dead-end.

Even as he expressed regret over Sethu’s death due to electrocution, the Minister denied the reports that the pole was damaged and Tangedco failed to act on local residents’ complaints to change it. 

“We came to know that a concrete mixer truck hit a tree branch which in turn fell on the power line, leading to the collapse of the pole at the street corner. We informed the police about the truck, and the Commissioner has promised to look into the CCTV footages from the locality to identify the vehicle,” Thangamani told reporters at Tangedco headquarters. 

Pointing out that workers had changed a weak pole in the same street few days ago, he added: “If there was a complaint of damaged or weak pole, our workers would have changed it as well. They did not receive any complaints from the public in connection with the pole, he insisted. 

However, hours after the Minister’s press conference, Sangareshwari said that no truck would enter their street to hit the pole as it is a dead-end street. “There would always be sparks on the pole, but we never expected it to fall,” she said.

Meanwhile, a team of forensic officials along with a police team inspected the spot on Wednesday. The team led by Sophia, assistant director of the Forensic Department, visited the spot to investigate whether the pole was hit by a lorry. 

As soon as she entered the street, the residents surrounded her asking how could a lorry enter such a small street. Normally, heavy vehicles like lorries would not come inside such narrow streets, they said. While the residents alleged that they had requested Tangedco officials to replace the poles many times, the officials maintaining that they have not received any such petition. However, the residents from the neighbourhood said that they had documents to prove their claim. The Chitlapakkam police and forensic official also conducted inquiry with Sethu Rajan’s wife Sangareshwari.