HUBBALLI: A 26-year-old man was electrocuted when he was working on an electricity pole near the old bus terminus here on Friday. The deceased is Shankargouda Patil of Chakapur in Shiggaon taluk of Haveri district.
Patil, who was working to replace an old electricity pole, was busy dismantling the old power cable. According to HESCOM sources, line clearance was taken prior the work. Patil was working for JK Electrical, a contract agency for HESCOM.
As power struck Patil, he screamed for 10 minutes seeking help. But none was in a position to help him. The people immediately informed HESOCM staff, but by the time they reached, he was dead, said an eye-witness. Another eyewitness said the work was going on from the morning and the nearby residents had cautioned the workers as the cable being dismantled was falling on the road. “There were three people working on the pole. When Patil started screaming for help after getting electric shock, one of them tried to pull him. But he failed in his attempt,” they said.
Residents stage protest
The people gathered at the accident site blocked the Karwar Road. As a result, the traffic went haywire on the surrounding roads too. The police had a tough time dealing with the angry public.
The protesters demanded a compensation for the kin of the deceased. At some point, they verbally clashed with the police.
When the agitators tried to manhandle a staffer of the contracting agency, the police resorted to a mild lathi-charge and the crowd started running helter-skelter.Additional police force was summoned to handle the situation. The body lay on the electricity pole till the situation was brought under control. With the help of the HESCOM officials, the police brought down the body of the deceased.
HESCOM officials termed the incident as unfortunate and said all possible help will be extended to the bereaved family.The suburban police said they will lodge a complaint if the family of the deceased come forward with a plea.
Electrical Inspectorate to investigate
Following Friday’s mishap, HESOCM executive engineer J L Belagali said that the lineman was allowed to work on the line only after awarding LCP. The work went on for three hours and the accident occurred thereafter, he said, adding that with a thorough investigation, the cause of the mishap could be ascertained. One of the reasons could be back feed of voltage from the nearby power generator connected with the line and other might be the isolated line coming in contact with a live line at some other place, he said, adding that he would not jump into conclusion unless a proper investigation is done. The Electrical Inspectorate, a government agency, would go into the details of the mishap and submit a report on the cause of the accident, Belagali added. The engineer, however, stated that the possibility of such an accident would be remote.
Death raises doubts over safety measures
Mystery surrounding the death of the lineman has raised serious questions over the safety measures taken by the staff on the ground. Line clearance permit (LCP) by the section officer is a must before letting anybody climb an electricity pole, a senior official in the Hubballi Electricity Supply Company (HESCOM) said. When work or testing on a transmission line requires the removal of primary earths, the entire line should get isolated. Within any isolated zone, any number of LCPs may be issued on the discretion of the section officer. The transmission line will be availed for the work only after an agreement is reached between section officer, maintenance engineer and in-charge staff in Load Dispatch Centre over shutting down the specified line. In case any equipment shows any sign of ‘distress’, the switching must cease immediately and the section office should be notified. All persons must be warned that a potential hazard exists. Despite taking all these safety measures, the personnel working on the transmission line could face dangers like electric shock, burns or falling.