Hubballi: HESCOM’s quick action saves life of suicidal man who climbed high tension electric tower

Team Udayavani, Aug 7, 2022, 8:55 AM IST

Hubballi: The presence of mind of a passerby and equally quick action of HESCOM officials saved the life of a suicidal man who scaled a high-tension electric tower in a bid to end his life on Saturday, August 6.

A man started climbing a climbing the electric tower which supported an 11-KV line in Bidnala here. A crowd soon gathered at the spot and urged the man to get down. However, he did not heed the requests. As the drama unfolded a passerby quickly rang up the HESCOM officials informing them about the incident.

The HESCOM Executive Engineer Kirankumar, who received the call, quickly got into action to cut off power. As time was of the essence and the exact location of the tower couldn’t be ascertained, all lines passing through the area were isolated.

By the time the man had reached out to touch the high tension wire, electricity had been cut off, thus, saving his life.

Bendigeri police and fire personnel also arrived at the spot. But by that time, the locals had persuaded the man to get down. The man, identified as Raghavendra Bellary, was later taken to hospital by his family members. He had taken the extreme step allegedly due to some family dispute.

Executive Engineer of Rural Sub-Division Kirankumar lauded the time presence of the passerby who alerted them. “We were able to take action immediately as a local person informed us in time,” he said.

Suicide is preventable. If you get any such thoughts, consult or seek expert help.

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