THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As many as 10 people were electrocuted after the iron/aluminum poles used by them to pluck coconuts and fruits came into contact with the power lines so far this year. According to Kerala State Electricity Board authorities, 21 of the 41 persons who were electrocuted thus last year died instantly.V Jayaraj, KSEB chief safety commissioner who has been engaged in creating awareness among the public about the hazards of using old and abandoned antenna poles and even GI pipes for plucking fruits, says several people continue to do so.
On Friday, Appukuttan and his son Renil were electrocuted at Vizhinjam here. As Appukuttan tried to lift the rod standing on his house’s terrace to pull a bunch of coconuts, it touched an overhead 11 KV line. He got singed and on seeing his father on fire, the son rushed to the terrace but he was also electrocuted when he tried to pull Appukkuttan away.
On Sunday, in yet another incident, Vaikom native Purushothaman Nair, 62, was electrocuted while plucking mangoes in his house compound when the pole touched an 11 KV line. The board has said there has been a spurt in such cases in the past few years. In some cases, people lost their lives, while in others, people suffered serious burns.The statistics with KSEB show that in 250 accidents reported in the last five years, 135 people lost their lives, highlighting the gravity of the situation.
A majority of the fatal incidents happened when the persons tried to pluck coconuts or fruits from their compounds near the power lines. Jayaraj told TNIE that the recent increase in cases this year is due to the ongoing fruit-bearing season.“We have been publicising short films and posters/banners highlighting the risks of plucking coconuts and fruits with the help of long iron/aluminum poles. Consumers have been asked to prune their tree branches in their properties on their own,” said Jayaraj.