From Our Correspondent
MAWKYRWAT, Oct 30: A 19-year-old youth from Rangblang Pombriew village, located 20 km from Mawkyrwat in South West Khasi Hills, lost his life after getting electrocuted under an electric pole in a nearby forest.
According to village secretary Bokstone Thongni, the incident occurred early this morning, although the exact time remains unknown.
The victim, Jimwillson Thongni, was discovered by children around 8:30 am while they were foraging for wild nuts.
Upon finding him, the children alerted the village authorities, who quickly transported him to Nongstoin Civil Hospital for treatment. Jimwillson, however, was declared dead upon arrival.
In the wake of this incident, Bokstone and the villagers expressed their outrage toward the Meghalaya Power Distribution Corporation Limited (MePDCL), accusing them of negligence.
They claim the village has repeatedly reported damaged electric poles and low-hanging power lines, yet no action has been taken.
Bokstone noted that small animals, including squirrels and rats, had also fallen victim to the hazardous conditions under the electric pole.
“The village authority has sent numerous reports regarding many damaged and rotting electrical poles, including the one that caused this tragedy, as well as loose electric lines. Shockingly, the MePDCL office in Mawkyrwat has not addressed these issues. I once told them, ‘You wait until people die to do something’. Now, as an office, what can you do? Can you bring him back to life?” Bokstone lamented.
Meanwhile, the villagers have demanded that the state government and the power minister take swift action, issuing a written directive for the immediate repair of the dangerous electric poles.
Meanwhile, the Mawkyrwat police confirmed that an inquest was conducted by the Nongstoin Police. Following the receipt of the post-mortem exemption order, the deceased’s body was returned to his family for last rites.
