Chennai: Leaking EB cable in stagnant water kills cleanliness worker; 2nd death in two days
Hearing the woman's screams, her co-workers and public rushed to her aid and moved her to a hospital where she was declared as brought dead.
Leaking power cable in stagnant water kills cleanliness worker in Chennai
CHENNAI: Raising serious questions about the safety of the public, a 30-year-old woman who was on her way to work was electrocuted in the early hours of Saturday when she stepped on stagnant rainwater near her home in Kannagi Nagar. This was the second electrocution reported in as many days in the city.
The Kannagi Nagar police have booked Assistant Engineer Surendar under Section 106 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (causing death by negligence) after the victim’s husband lodged a complaint.
Residents alleged that the exposed underground cable on 11th Cross Street had been left unattended for nearly two months despite repeated complaints, including one made on August 19.
The victim, R Varalakshmi, was working for a solid waste management contractor in Adyar
Zone. She was a mother of two children aged 13 and 11, lived with her husband Ravi, a painter suffering from a heart ailment and skin disease.
Residents said the incident occurred around 5 am when she accidentally stepped on an exposed electric wire submerged in rainwater. Hearing her cries, the public rushed to her aid, but she was declared dead on arrival at a hospital.
“The movement of vehicles had damaged the cable, and we warned the Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Ltd (TNPDCL) multiple times. Yet no action was taken until a life was lost,” said K Murugan, a local activist.
When asked, the utility officials claimed that the low-tension line was damaged by contractors working on the stormwater drain project, and that the contractors had attempted an unauthorised repair without informing the utility.
Rs 20 lakh solatium, job for kin: Minister
Later in the day, Health Minister Ma Subramanian handed over a cheque for Rs 20 lakh to Varalakshmi’s family, Rs 10 lakh each from TNPDCL and Urbaser Sumeet, the conservancy firm that employed her.
The government has not announced any separate solatium from the Chief Minister’s Public Relief Fund. Minister Subramanian announced that, on the instructions of Chief Minister MK Stalin, Urbaser Sumeet would employ Ravi as a supervisor to support the family.
The DMK has also assured to cover the educational expenses of the two children. Responding to the allegations of negligence, the Minister said a review meeting would be convened shortly with TNPDCL, Greater Chennai Corporation, and the Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board to improve civic amenities and address residents’ grievances in Kannagi Nagar.
On Friday, Samuel, a 57-year-old man, was electrocuted after an overhead cable snapped and fell on stagnant water in Injambakkam. TNPDCL blamed the flashing of an insulator in a transformer, resulting in the snapping of conductors.
