Electrocuted boy succumbs to death; Minister pushes for insulated cables

BENGALURU: One of the two boys who were electrocuted in Nandini Layout after coming in contact with a power line last Thursday, succumbed at Victoria Hospital on Sunday without responding to treatment. The deceased is 11-year-old Suprith. Another injured Chandan (13) is undergoing treatment at the same hospital.

Both are residents of Vijayananda Nagar. After returning from school, the boys went to play on the terrace. They were electrocuted when they were trying to catch pigeons sitting on a high-tension power line using an iron rod.

Suprith’s (right) and his father Manju.

Suprith’s father Manju told reporters, “Parents should take care of their children when they are playing outside the house. I have lost my son and it should not happen to any others. High-tension wires run above buildings in residential areas and should be removed or Bescom should increase the height of power lines”.

Excise Minister and Mahalakshmi Layout MLA Gopalaiah said, “We cannot console the parents of the boy at this moment, as they are in grief.  Medical experts also made sincere effort to save him, but he did not survive. The parents have another daughter and I will take the responsibility of her education. I have also brought this to the notice of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. We will bear the medical expenses of the another injured child”.

Minister Gopalaiah assured compensation from the government to the parents of the deceased boy.

“I have instructed the authorities concerned not to allot the site to anybody where the incident had been reported. I have asked for high-tension wires to be replaced with insulated cables and the work will start in three months. It will help more than thousand residents. An estimate has been presented on laying underground electric cables up to Rajajinagar. A tender will be floated may be in this month or next month for the project. I will extend financial help to the deceased family personally”, he added.