MCA student killed after contacting electricity wire

Neeraj Bagga

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Tribune News Service

Amritsar, September 11

The untimely death of an MCA student, Monica, yesterday after she came into contact with an electricity wire passing over the rooftop of her house has once again brought out the harrowing tale of people living under such looming live wires.

A resident of the Jandiala Guru area on the outskirts of the city, Monica had gone to the rooftop to hang clothes for drying up when the accident snuffed out her life.

There are many localities in the city which are infamous for power cables passing over houses in these.

High-tension wires passing dangerously close to houses and above these failed to draw the attention of officials so far.

A few weeks ago, a livestock came into contact with a loosely hanging wire in Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar and died on the spot. Unable to move its carcass, some people buried it in a vacant plot.

There are many localities on the Majitha and Batala roads besides Jodda Phatak, which are grappling with the menace. Many accidents have occurred in the past in the colony. Residents said they live in the fear of mishaps.

A resident, Sanjay Kumar, said, “We have no other option. Buying a home somewhere else is too costly a proposition. Besides, nobody will buy this house because of this constant danger.”

He recalled that some years ago in a locality on the Majitha road, a three-year-old girl, Diya, had lost her hand after coming into contact with high-tension wires on the terrace of her house. Diya was rendered handicapped for the rest of her life.

Electricity wires in Mai Sewa Bazaar, Guru Bazaar and many other localities also pose a similar danger. In these areas, the wires run parallel to windows on the first floor of houses. At some places, the loose and naked wires look like a cobweb. Inhabitants of these houses live in fear particularly on those days when it rains continuously.  PSPCL Chief Engineer NK Gandhi said the fault lay with families who were lured to buy such a piece of land at a lesser price than the market rate due to the power line passing over it. He said it was possible to re-route the line in case the affected people deposited its appropriate cost.