Another electrocution death in Bengal, toll rises to 11

Kolkata, Sep 27 (IANS) Another death due to electrocution has been reported in Kolkata on Saturday, with the victim being a 66-year-old woman.

The deceased woman has been identified as Srabanti Debi, and the place of occurrence was in front of a shop owned by her at Behala-Sarsuna Road in the southern outskirts of Kolkata.

With this, the total number of electrocution deaths in and around Kolkata since September 16 increased to 11.

According to eyewitnesses, she was unable to open her shop since Tuesday because of massive waterlogging in the area where the shop was located.

"Even on Saturday, the water had not receded completely. She (Srabanti Debi) came in front of her house and tried to open the shutter of the shop while standing in the rainwater accumulated there. There, somehow she got in contact with a naked electricity wire that was underwater and got electrocuted," a local eyewitness said.

The local people told the police as well as the private power generation-cum-distribution entity, CESC Limited.

The body of the victim was recovered and taken to the nearby Vidyasagar hospital, where she was declared dead.

The wire that she came in touch with was connected to a light on the teen-shade of the shop owned by the victim, a CESC official said after inspection in the area.

On September 16, a total of 10 people, including eight in Kolkata, died from electrocution in West Bengal after they came in contact with the naked electricity wires submerged in the accumulated rainwater.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee blamed CESC Limited, which enjoys a monopoly in power distribution in Kolkata and its adjacent district of Howrah, for the mishap.

She claimed that despite her repeated warnings, the private power utility did not focus on improving its own infrastructure.

Later, the CESC announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the families of each of the victims.

The state government also announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh for each family.

This week, a division bench of the Calcutta High Court sought a report from CESC Limited over the multiple electrocution deaths in and around Kolkata on September 23.

The division bench, at the same time, directed Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) to file a report by the same date on the initiatives taken by the corporation for the effective functioning of the city's sewerage system to prevent waterlogging.

--IANS

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