A 20-year-old boy from Koparkhairane suffered burns on Saturday morning after he accidentally stepped onto cables meant to be ‘underground’.
Shubham Sony, a third-year student of Bachelor of Management Studies from Tilak College, was on his way to class when he accidentally stepped on the joint of the cables, 20 feet from his home, which caused a spark and set his clothes on fire. “These wires have been exposed for a long time now. A vehicle too had caught fire here sometime back but nobody took cognisance of the spot. My son has received 25% burn injuries and will take at least a month to recover. Doctors have said the treatment will cost around ₹3 lakh. Though we have been told that Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) would provide us some financial help, we do not have any clarity yet,” Jagdish Sony, the boy’s father, said.
Meanwhile, an official from MSEDCL said the wires, which have been covered now, were taken out from under the ground by contractors of Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC), who laid a drainage pipe. “We covered the wires in cement around three months back, but it got washed away in the rain. The boy stepped on the joint of the wires, due to which the spark erupted,” he said.
The Sony family has given a written complaint to the Koparkhairane police.
Shankar More, an NMMC corporator, said, “I was there when the incident occurred and hence I took the family to the police station. The police gave them a letter to take him to NMMC hospital but the complaint hasn’t been registered yet. The police have been saying that they are figuring out the contractor’s name for registering the complaint, and delaying action by giving excuses.”
“We have received the complaint and are investigating the matter. We would register the case once we figure out whose responsibility it was to maintain the place,” senior inspector Suryakant Jagdale said.
The boy is currently undergoing treatment at National Burns Centre in Airoli.
