Taking cognisance of the death of a 23-year-old woman and her nine-month-old daughter by electrocution at Kadugodi in Bengaluru on November 19, the Lokayukta initiated suo motu proceedings against the officials concerned.
In the order on November 22, Lokayukta directed the registrar to summon seven officials, including the Additional Chief Secretary, Energy Department, Managing Director of Bescom, Chief Engineer and Superintendent Engineer, for questioning, and to record their statement by December 8.
The Lokayukta directed the Superintendent of Police to conduct a spot inspection and investigation and submit a report by the next hearing scheduled for December 8.
In his order, Justice B.S. Patil said that it’s the duty of Bescom to ensure proper maintenance of electrical wires, carry out inspections regularly and attend to complaints immediately .
The accident abstract found on the Bescom website shows that from 2015-16 to 2021-22, on average, 200 to 280 accidents have been reported every year. Prima facie, there has been negligence on the part of officials entrusted with the responsibility of maintaining the electrical line. Non-maintenance of electrical lines in a reasonable condition would amount to grave dereliction of duty, said Justice Patil.
Such dereliction will prove fatal for people. Right to life means quality of life and nobody is safe without there being proper electric lines. Bescom is collecting electricity charges from the public, who, in turn, expect corresponding facilities from the authorities to make life comfortable and hassle-free. Uninsulated wires hanging in every corner of the street, trees and buildings, telephone poles and transformers pose a danger to people walking on pavements, the order stated.
The officials concerned failed to take the required precautions, which led to the accident and loss of life, and therefore, this matter requires detailed investigations to fix responsibilities and find a permanent solution to prevent such incidents in future, Justice Patil said.
