Guwahati: Lauding the JK & Ladakh high court for emphasizing on implementing all safety measures to prevent electrocution deaths and injuries to consumers, a forum of graduate engineers in Northeast India opines that the electricity authority and administration often ignore such incidents as mere accidents.
Taking serious note of the deaths (and injuries) caused due to electrocution, the high court recently ordered for constituting a committee to ensure the implementation of statutory safety measures and regulations enshrined in the safety regulations of central electricity authority.
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It also observed that such incidents take place due to non-adherence to safety measures and the colossal loss of human lives (especially children) is totally unacceptable, grim and heart rending. Supporting the views, All Assam Engineer’s Association (AAEA) draws attention of the authority to a recent death of 16 years old Guwahati lad (Subham Kumar Roy from Pandu locality) who died due to electrocution at Bhupen Hazarika Samadhi Kshetra in Jalukbari. The high school student understandably touched the fountain water inside the campus and finally succumbed to injuries in a hospital.
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“Official statistics reveal that our country witnesses the casualties of over 11,000 people because of electrocution every year. Assam loses around 40 individuals per year as stated by Assam Power Development Corporation Limited,” said a statement issued by AAEA president Er Kailash Sarma, working president Er NJ Thakuria and secretary Er Inamul Hye, adding that not only humans but also animals (precisely wild elephants) are losing lives due to electrocution in India. India loses around 450 elephants due to electrocution, where Assam often tops the list with around 90 casualties (followed by Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala).
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(Nava Thakuria is a senior Indian journalist who contributes to various media outlets including print and digital platforms of India and across the world.)
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