17-Yr-Old Suffers Major Burns Due To Alleged Negligence Of TPWODL; Pleas For Compensation Ignored

Bhawanipatna: The family of a 17-year-old boy, who is suffering from 60 to 70 per cent burns after getting electrocuted from a loosely hanging live wire, has appealed for compensation from power discom Tata Power Western Odisha Distribution Limited.

The Class XII student Nishant Agarwal, got electrocuted in July 2021 while playing with his friends on the terrace at Rupra Road, Narla in Kalahandi district. He had come in contact with a non-insulated high-tension wire hanging loosely and sustained 60 to 70 per cent burns, said Nishant’s uncle Sushil.

Nishant was rushed to CHC, Narla, from where he was referred to Bhilai and admitted at JLN Hospital, where he underwent treatment for over a month.

Sushil claimed that his repeated pleas to TP Western Odisha Distribution Limited, for compensation fell on deaf ears. Sushil claimed to have spent Rs 25 lakh on the treatment of Nishant.

Agarwal further complained that villagers had repeatedly brought it to the notice of SDO, Electrical, Narla regarding removal of the non-insulated electric wire passing over the building but the authority concerned did not pay any heed. The mishap occurred due to the negligence and poor maintenance of the wire by the electricity department.

Nishant is the son of a single mother (his father died) coming from a poor family background, stated Sushil in his complaint and wrote to the OERC for compensation.

However, the Legal Officer, TPWODL, Subodh K Mahalik stated in his reply on December 17 that the case is sub-judice before the National human Rights Commission and any decision would be subject to final outcome of the case.

It may be mentioned that Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC) has clearly laid down rules of compensation to victims of mishaps related to negligence of power department.

‘The licensees shall comply by all the mandatory safety requirements and take all necessary measures to protect human beings, animals and birds from injury by reason of contact with, or the proximity of, or by reason of the defective or dangerous condition of any appliance or apparatus used in the generation, transmission, distribution, supply or use of energy,’ the gazette notification says.

‘The licensee failing to meet the safety standards…shall be liable to pay compensation… to the person affected for loss of human or animal/bird life or injury to human beings or animal/bird in consequence of an electrical accident,’ the notification further reads.
The limit of compensation can even be enhanced in specific cases, the circular states.