APCPDCL blamed for electrocution

The couple had lodged complaints earlier about the fallen wires and requested relocation of the transformer but APCPDCL never addressed it

Ch Saibaba

Balaram and his wife, Lakshmi Narasamma, residents of Picket, located under the SCB limits passed away in a horrific electrocution accident on Wednesday. Eye witnesses and locals claim that the incident occurred at 7.30am, when Lakshmi who was sweeping came in contact with a live low tension wire, lying beside her house.

As soon as she came in contact, she started screaming loudly and upon hearing her screams, her husband, Balaram rushed to her aid not knowing that his wife was being electrocuted. No sooner did he touch her, than he too started yelling loudly due to the electricity passing through their bodies. Hearing her parents scream, Jayasree rushed to their aid and in an attempt to save them she too got stuck to them and sustained severe injuries. Luckily, a local resident, Nagesh immediately hit Lakshmi’s hand with a wooden stick and thus freed the family from the electric chain. The whole incident occurred in a matter of three minutes.

The entire family was shifted to Gandhi Hospital for treatment but Lakshmi and Balaram succumbed to their injuries. Outraged at the incident, the family’s relatives and locals approached the APCPDCL office at Gymkhana at 10am in a mob like frenzy and tore apart the office. They had registered complaints earlier about the fallen wires and requested for the relocation of the transformer and also had registered a plea to change the wires as they had become frayed and loose due to wear and tear.

Karkhana and Marredpally police officials quickly arrived at the scene and pacified the mob preventing any further disturbances. Sarvey Sathyanarayana, minister for transport and highways, P Shankar Rao; local MLA, D Ram Kumar, divisional engineer, APCPDCL and other local leaders and public representatives consoled the family members and promised financial aid. They also assured the relatives that Jayasree would be provided with a job after she completed her education. Lastly, they promised to take action against the officials responsible for the incident.

An immediate sanction of Rs 2 lakh each was given for the death of Balaram and Lakshmi and Rs 1 lakh was given for the treatment of Jayasree by APCPDCL and Rs 50,000 each by the Tehsildar under the Apadbandhu scheme to meet the emergency expenses of the family members. The funeral was conducted on Thursday amidst police bandobasth.