BENGALURU: The Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has ordered the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Ltd (BESCOM) to pay Rs 90 lakh to a 16-year-old boy who lost his arms in an incident of electrocution last year, but the award of compensation has failed to raise the hopes of his struggling mother. This is because her hopes have been dashed once before and she fears it may happen again.
The electrocution which happened accidentally in Lingarajapuram on June 21, 2017 due to a live wire carelessly allowed to hang by BESCOM caused Cavin William to lose both his arms and suffer extensive burn injuries, charring the entire left side of his body from shoulder to thigh. Today, he requires at least Rs 2 lakh for a bone flap surgery in the hip and robotic arms to allow him to take a crack at life once again. But even as Cavin’s II PUC classes are about to begin in a week, the news of the compensation did not bring his mother Vidya any relief.
“I am sure BESCOM will challenge this. When none of their officers came to visit my child even when he lay burnt in the hospital, why would they pay compensation easily,” she asks.
Her fears were confirmed when TNIE contacted Rajendra Cholan P, MD, BESCOM: “We have not agreed to pay. It was just a hearing that was held in February with the panel. We have to consult our lawyer and see what the government norms are. I haven’t seen the order as I am in training in Mussourie.” He said Karnataka Power Corporation Ltd MD G Kumar Naik is in-charge MD BESCOM in his absence. Naik said KPCL had nothing to do with it .
Sixteen-year-old Cavin William and his mother Vidya have not only suffered because of his electrocution due to BESCOM’s carelessness, but also due to the greed of wolves who came in sheep’s clothing.
Many who presented themselves to help financially, made the most of it with not a single penny coming for the cause of resurrecting Cavin’s burnt body.
On June 21, 2017, just a week after he joined PU college, he was electrocuted on the stairs of his house in Kariyanapalya in Lingarajapuram, losing both his arms, causing deep burns on the left side of his body that exposed his ribs, and partially destroying his hip.
“With third degree burns, 62 per cent of his body was charred. But BESCOM never agreed to its mistake,” recalls Vidya, a single parent who making ends meet by taking tuition classes for children in the neighbourhood. His hip bone injury was deep that causes him to limp slightly. “His injury is not healing. The doctor says he may require surgery if it doesn’t,” she says.
Nothing seems to have changed despite the accident that almost claimed her son’s life. No compensation came her way, neither did the money raised by “well-wishers”, who collected money on her behalf but never parted with it.
“People benefitted using my son’s pictures. They collected money in his name and never gave it to me. Though I had `1 lakh pending bill in the hospital despite already paying `21 lakh at the North Bangalore Hospital, nobody helped. The hospital discharged him despite the outstanding amount and gave me time to pay,” she says.
“People used his Aadhaar card, my voter ID and other details, and when I approached them for the money, they said I had money to pay so they didn’t pay. Nobody from the BBMP, or the ward corporator came,” she laments.
“BESCOM has given two new connections to an apartment here by taking it underground but the assistant engineer left the wires dangling on the first floor of my house where the incident happened,” she added.