TURA, Sep 16: A farmer lost his life after being electrocuted by a live wire that was reportedly left by electricity workers from the Meghalaya Power Distribution Corporation (MePDCL) in a village in Tikrikilla area of West Garo Hills.
The victim, Rolling B Marak, died in his paddy field at Kharsengdhap village when a low-hanging live wire passing through his field reportedly fell on him.
His body was found by his family who went looking for him when he did not turn up home after work on September 11.
Five days since the tragedy and no official word has come from the MePDCL which maintains these electric lines to offer any compensation for the loss of life.
Angry with the power company for its lack of concern for human safety, village elders and a group of Nokmas from the area along with A’chik Youth Council of Tikrikilla have decided to pursue the case with the authorities and agitate for compensation to the victim’s family.
At the same time, the widow of the farmer has filed a police complaint of negligence demanding action against the guilty.
Garo Hills has the highest cases of electrocution in the state, and perhaps even in the Northeastern region. There have been cases of electrocution of not just humans but even wild animals like elephants in the region.
In a majority of cases, it has been found that human error, particularly absence of regular checks and maintenance by field staff, has been the cause for the deaths.
There is also the issue of poor training of field staff and motivation, informed circles reveal.
Some of the victims who survived have had to endure debilitating pain and a lifetime of being handicapped.
A case in point is of a young school boy who had both his hands amputated after electrocution that was caused by human negligence.
