Games haste leads to spurt in cases of electrocution

In the haste to finish Commonwealth Games-related work, the safety of the people has taken a back seat in the city. Delhiites are now living under constant threat of accidents. Faulty electrical wiring has killed as many as 17-people in the last two months. Karan Choudhury reports.

In the haste to finish Commonwealth Games-related work, the safety of the people has taken a back seat in the city. Delhiites are now living under constant threat of accidents. Faulty electrical wiring has killed as many as 17-people in the last two months.

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In the past three years, this is the highest number of electrocution deaths recorded in the monsoons. But in each case, the civic agencies and discoms have tried to pass the buck.

While civic agencies blame the discoms for bad electrical wirings, the discoms blame the civic agencies for waterlogged roads.

On July 4, 12-year-old Harshit Budhiraja was electrocuted in East Delhi, at the Rajiv Gandhi mini-stadium — a Commonwealth Games site.

However, no one has been held responsible for these deaths. The police claim investigations are underway and action would be taken. "Investigations take time. A case of death due to negligence is registered," said Delhi Police spokesman Rajan Bhagat.

"These wires fall on roads and people get electrocuted. It is negligence on the part of agencies," said a senior police officer requesting anonymity.

On August 14, a teenager was electrocuted in southeast Delhi when he accidentally touched an electric wire that fell on a waterlogged road New Friend’s Colony. However, discoms have a different take on it.

"We try to look into the exact reasons behind the incidents. But most of electrocutions are caused due to illegal construction and faulty wiring," said Ajea Maharaj spokesperson North Delhi Power Limited (NDPL).