Naidunia Correspondent, Ganj Basoda | A 65-year-old man died after he accidentally came into contact with an 11 KV high-tension power line in Vidisha district, Madhya Pradesh. Prabhu Lal Gupta, a resident of Gayatri Nagar, Ward 6, was electrocuted when he spat gutkha (a crushed mixture of areca nut and tobacco) while standing on the third-floor balcony of his house on Friday.
Upon receiving information about the incident, the Dial 112 team arrived at the scene. Gupta, originally from Chhatarpur, had been living in a rented house in Ganjbasoda for the past ten years. He used to work as a mechanic. His death created anger among people against the power department.
Residents expressed their displeasure over the functioning of the power company and its safety measures. Locals alleged that several complaints were made to remove the high-tension wires passing near their homes, but the concerned officials did not pay attention.
Padma Chidhar, the owner of the building where the incident took place, said he had repeatedly requested electricity company officials to remove the high-tension line passing near his house, but they ignored. According to him, the officials had assured him that the wires would be removed soon, but even after a long time, no action was taken.
Electricity Company Ignored Locals' Complaints
Ward Councillor Manish Vishwakarma slammed the electricity department, saying regular maintenance of power lines (wires) and equipment is not being performed despite several complaints. He further said that in several areas in the city, 11 kV high-tension lines pass very close to residential buildings, posing a threat to people's lives.
The Councillor demanded that the concerned officials should inspect the area's power lines and equipment and make necessary arrangements to avoid such unfortunate incidents.
(With Inputs from Ajay Jain)