Paradip: Villagers staged rasta roko on a National Highway as a farmer died after coming in contact with a 11 KV electricity wire in Odisha’s Jagatsinghpur district on Thursday.
As per reports, the 62-yer-old farmer, Kanduri Rout of Pippal Barei village under Lock police station had gone to his farm field in the afternoon. One of the 11 KV wires had snapped and fell on his farm field. He came in contact with the live wire unknowingly and died on the spot due to electrocution.
Enraged over Kanduri’s death, the villagers staged a rasta roko on Paradip-Cuttack National Highway demanding compensation for his family and immediate repair of the wire. “The high voltage wires going over our village have been drawn loosely. As a result, those hang at a dangerously low level. We have drawn the attention of the local administration and power distribution company several times. But no remedial step has been taken so far,” said one of the agitating villagers.
They also pointed out that a tractor had come in contact with the live wires a week back. Luckily, its driver escaped without any harm, they added.
As the traffic movement on the NH was paralysed due to the villagers’ agitation, a team from Lock police station went to the spot. They convinced the villagers to call off the agitation by assuring them of taking up their demands with the authorities.
