CHENNAI: In yet another case of official apathy, just days after a young techie came under the wheels of a water lorry after a banner placed on the median fell on her, a teenage boy was electrocuted to death on Sunday night when he stepped into a pool of rainwater. He did not realise the water was stagnating over a pit dug out by the Corporation workers, who had left the underground live cables exposed.
Deena, the deceased, was 14 years old, studying Class-9 at MGR Nagar government school. The accident happened at around 10 pm in Dhanam Nagar, when he took his father’s bike out to refuel. The moment he stepped in the water, he suffered an electric shock and fell unconscious.
Passersby informed the Tangedco officials and the power supply to the area was suspended. Deena was rushed to the hospital but the doctors declared him brought dead. Agitated relatives of the boy staged a protest demanding action against erring officials. They were pacified and sent home by the police.
Deena’s body has been sent for postmortem. A case has been registered. A Tangedco official said,” A few months ago, the corporation dug up the ground to lay a connection for streetlights. The street happened to be a dead end and usually workers twist and bury the remaining wire. Sometimes, the rubber coating of the wire gets cut while twisting and the live wire comes out. As it had rained the previous days, the sand had slipped away and the wire had protruded.”
On information, the Tangedco workers cut off the power supply for the entire area and only then they found that the wire was laid by the corporation. Meanwhile, the area engineer, Senthil and Zonal Officer Balu, have been booked by the police based on the complaint by Deena’s father. The residents of the street threatened to protest again if the officials concerned were not arrested.