Woman electrocution case: Bescom says no compensation

PTI, Sep 7, 2022, 3:13 PM IST

Bengaluru: A day after a 23-year-old young working woman was electrocuted death, the Bengaluru Electricity Supply Company (Bescom), the government body which is in charge of the distribution of electricity in the capital city, washed off its hands of the incident.

According to the sources, Bescom has put the entire blame on an Advertisement Agency and stated in its report that the negligence by the advertiser is the sole reason for the electrocution and that the company must pay the compensation.

The public was outraged in Bengaluru over the death of Akhila, a B Com graduate, who was electrocuted while returning home late Monday night. She was on a bike and moving through the inundated stretch of road within the limits of Whitefield police station.

Akhila worked in a private school and was imbalanced while moving on the two-wheeler. She grabbed an electrical pole by the roadside. The electrical cables, which had come out of the pole, caused the electrocution and she succumbed to injuries.

The people have questioned the negligence of Bescom in this regard. The report has been submitted regarding the tragedy to the Managing Director of Bescom. The report says “Bescom is not responsible for the death of a young working woman in the incident of electrocution.

“The company should provide compensation to the victim’s family and there is no provision for Bescom to provide compensation in this case in any manner.

“During the time of inspection, an assistant engineer attached to Bescom reported that the cable attached to the advertisement board was skinned out and the woman became the victim of electrocution due to this reason.

“Bescom only has power and jurisdiction to supply electricity. The wiring system should be managed by the respective companies who put up advertisement boards. Hence, the Media Company if would have handled the wiring system appropriately, this tragedy would not have taken place,” the report says.

However, the public has been in panic after the incident as thousands of electric poles have come under water in the flooded areas. And the people were forced to commute amid inundated roads.