CHENNAI: The Anna Nagar police on Thursday questioned assistant engineers from the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) and the Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation (TNPDCL) in connection with the electrocution death of a 59-year-old woman near Anna Nagar Tower Metro station.
The engineers were summoned to the Anna Nagar police station. The police are examining whether lapses in the execution or supervision of the storm water drain work contributed to the incident.
Amidst reports suggesting that the two agencies had been aware of damaged HT and LT cables when the storm water drain work was undertaken and that the subsequent delay in repairs led to the death, officials of both agencies told TNIE that it was not the case.
While media reports flashed communications from both agencies pertaining to the damaged cables on Anna Nagar 2nd Avenue, officials of both departments said that the reports were factually incorrect and that the communication did not pertain to the spot where the woman fell but a different portion of the same road.
Corporation officials said that HT cables had been running around 1.5 feet beneath the road. While the road was closed following the completion of storm water drain works 40 days ago, there might have been power leakage due to wear and tear of the road.
The repair of the cables, as mentioned in the communication with TNPDCL, had been carried out elsewhere on the stretch. “We had been insulating the cables as a temporary measure. What the communication had specified was the permanent replacement of the cable, which was taking slightly longer,” an official said.
Sanitation supervisor killed in vehicle crash
Chennai: A 26-year-old supervisor overseeing sanitation workers engaged by the Tambaram corporation was killed in an accident on the Tambaram-Kishkinta Road early on Wednesday.
According to the police, Venkat Narayanan of Lakshmi Nagar in Mudichur was returning home on his two wheeler after completing night shift when a car approaching from the opposite direction collided with his bike.
The police said ongoing storm water drain work had narrowed the road, leaving little room for either vehicle to move aside.
Sources said initial inquiry suggests that Narayanan fell in the impact and sustained fatal njuries. The police have registered a case and arrested the car driver.