Tamil Nadu info dept staff electrocuted in Vepery

The deceased, Murali Krishna, was a designer for the State Information Department’s projects.

The incident happened around 5.30 am when Murali stepped out. As the floor was slippery due to the stagnant water, he held on to an iron gate at the entrance. But the gate was in contact with a live wire and he suffered an electric shock and collapsed on the spot.

Passersby noticed Murali and alerted the Tangedco and the police control room. Tangedco staff cut the power supply to the area and Murali’s body was retrieved and sent to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital for post-mortem examination. The Vepery police have registered a case about the incident. Murali Krishna is survived by wife and three daughters.

After Murali’s death, residents pinned the blame on the indifferent civic officials who failed to remove stagnant water from Salai Street.

Thompson, a resident of the street said that sewage-mixed rainwater has been inundating the street for more than three weeks now. “We have raised the issue with the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (Metro Water) and requested them to remove the stagnant water. But they did little to find a permanent solution to the problem,” he added.

He said, after a few complaints, Metro Water workers pumped out the water. However, inundation repeated after another spell of rain.

Residents said Murali himself had complained about the waterlogging to the authorities. “The civic authorities only care about the roads that are heavily inundated. They do not take action at places with minor waterlogging. If the stagnant water were removed, the incident would have been avoided,” a resident said.

When contacted, a Metro Water engineer clarified that underground sewage lines across the city were overloaded as the sewage lines carry rainwater. “It takes at least five days for the water to recede after the rains stop,” he added.

The official added that stagnant water was removed from the street several times during the last few days. After the incident, the Metro Water and Corporation workers pumped out the water from the street again.