Three people electrocuted in Delhi after rains

NEW DELHI - At least three people, among them a 13-year-old boy, were electrocuted and a woman was severely injured from a powerful electric shock in Delhi Sunday following rains, officials said Monday.

Power company officials said such cases were “unfortunate” and asked the people to take necessary precautions in the rainy season.

Thirteen-year-old Rajkumar, of Kondli in east Delhi, died of a powerful electric shock when he tried to pull the strings of his kite entangled with high-tension wires, while 30-year-old Sajid Alam, who runs a roadside eatery in south Delhi’s R.K Puram, carelessly flipped on a switch despite being drenched in the rain and died on the spot.

Anand Vijay, 35, was electrocuted at his apartment in Neb Sarai, when he came n contact with a dangling live wire, while carrying a bucket of water from the terrace to his room.

Sumana, 30, a housewife in Jehangirpuri in northeast Delhi, got a powerful shock when she entered the bathroom and flipped on a switch with wet fingers.

BSES officials said that the loss of lives was “unfortunate” but they could do little about it.

“When monsoon starts, incidents of electrocution also happens, it is unfortunate, but one cannot blame BSES alone for this. The public should be careful during monsoon and take precautions,” a senior BSES official, pleading anonymity, told IANS.

BSES Rajdhani Power Limited’s (BRPL) CEO Gopal Saxena said that due to water-logging, chances of electricity-related mishaps and incidents are especially high during the monsoon season.

“Public should stay away from all electrical installations like electricity poles, sub-stations, transformers, street lights and educate children not to play near them, even if they are barricaded. This will go a long way in ensuring an incident-free monsoon, he said.

BSES Yamuna Power Limited (BYPL) CEO Ramesh Narayanan suggested all people should keep an electrical tester at home.

“If a switch or a wall of house is wet, one should not touch it. First use the tester to check if there is any electricity leakage. The internal wiring of the premises should be checked by a qualified electrician for leakages. If an electric pole is surrounded by water, one should stay away from it,” he warned.

Power company officials said the fencing around plinth and pole-mounted transformers has been repaired but there could be instances where it would be damaged. In such cases, once can inform BRPL on 39999707 and BYPL on 39999808.