TURA: In a major tragedy in the Garo Hills region, five labourers engaged in road construction work were electrocuted and another five grievously injured when their road repair vehicle touched a high tension electrical wire that was lying low near Manikganj village of North Garo Hills late Wednesday afternoon.
The labourers, who were engaged in road leveling work, were pushing their machinery through the Chota Miapara village, near Manikganj, under Mendipathar police station, when the accident took place at around 4:30 pm.
The cement mixing vehicle with a high end iron container was being pushed by the labourers when it came in contact with a high tension 11 KV power line passing above the road.
The labourers who were in contact with the iron clad machine were instantly electrocuted. Five of them were killed on the spot and another five sustained grievous burn injuries.
The five deceased have been identified as Jonaluddin (35), Sanmia (36), Asraf Ali (35), Sanwar Rehman (27) (all belonging to Merarchor village in Bongaigaon, Assam) and Depen Rabha (33) of Chotomiapara village under Mendipathar in North Garo Hills.
Five other seriously injured labourers, Biren Ali (30), Sayed Ali (25), Omar Ali (40), Kowedh Ali (30) and Abibil Ahmed (19), all hailing from Merarchar village of Bongaigaon have been rushed to Goalpara civil hospital and Solace Hospital for urgent medical attention.
This tragedy has once again put the state’s power corporations in the dock for their poor services when it comes to safeguarding peoples’ lives.
The Meghalaya Power Transmission Corporation Limited (MePTCL) is tasked with the maintenance and supervision of the high power transmission lines that pass through the region towards the sub-stations which supply power to the rest of Garo Hills and the state.The 11 KV high transmission Agia to Mendipathar line that was involved in Wednesday’s mishap leading to the death of five innocent people was supposed to have been regularly checked and maintained by the MePTCL engineers and staff.
Executive engineers deputed at the site were supposed to inspect the lines and inform the main office of any shortcomings. Clearly, they failed in their duties leading to such a colossal loss of human lives.
This is not the first instance of innocent lives being lost in the Garo Hills due to electrocution. Two years ago, a couple returning from a bath in a nearby stream in Purakhasia died from electrocution when they accidently touched a live wire lying on the side of the road.
Prior to that, a little boy had both his arms amputated in Chasingre area, near Tura, after he touched a live wire allegedly lying next to a power transformer that had not been barricaded by the power department staff.
A few years ago, a missionary nun in Garo Hills died from electrocution when she opened a refrigerator that had live power passing through it from a transmission line that had touched the domestic line outside.
