Margao civic body questioned whether traders have obtained permissions for display boards, power connections are as per safety norms
MARGAO
In a tragic incident, a young migrant labourer, hailing from Bihar, was electrocuted to death in the commercial capital on Saturday morning after he came in contact with an iron panel around which advertising boards have been found displayed.
The incident has thrown up a host of questions for the Margao Municipal Council to handle, whether the advertising boards displayed at the spot had municipal permissions; whether the traders had taken the power connections to the boards as per the safety norms and the action the civic body and the Electricity Department proposes to initiate against the hundreds, if not thousands of advertising boards displayed in the commercial capital without permission.
In fact, questions are being raised whether the incident will come as a wake up for the Margao Municipal city fathers and the babus as hundreds, if not thousands of advertising boards and sign boards have come up across the length and breadth of the commercial capital without permissions.
The incident is believed to have occurred when the 32-year old labourer, Ashutosh Anand, a native of Patna-Bihar, was found lying stuck between the two iron poles near a Margao Municipal Council’s waste collecting centre.
The deceased’s hand was found with burn injuries, indicating he was electrocuted to death.
Electricity Department linesmen who were called at the site after the incident confirmed that the iron panel erected at the spot and where a number of advertising boards have been displayed had electric current. It is suspected that the connections taken by the traders from their shops to light up the advertising boards might have come in contacted with the panel, resulting in the tragedy.
Former Margao Municipal councillor Damu Naik said he saw the deceased stuck up at the iron panel near the building. “This incident shows that the labourer came in contact with the iron panel. It is suspected that the iron panel got the current from the electric connections taken by the traders to light up the advertising boards. These boards should be removed by the municipality immediately if they have come up without permissions,” Damu said.
He has demanded to know how come the traders have taken the electric connections from their shops to the advertising boards without laying a cable.
Former MMC chairperson Rajendra Ajgaonkar, whose daughter Dr Rontia represents the main city ward in the civic body, had made a fervent plea to the Margao Municipal Chairperson Damu Shirodkar, Chief Officer and the councillors to take note of the incident and start a drive to verify the advertising boards lit up with power connections. “This could have happened to anyone. Margao Municipal workers are also visiting the spot to lift the waste dumped at the waste collecting centre. The MMC should initiate action,” Rajendra added.
MARGAO MLA SEEKS REPORT FROM POWER ENGINEERS ON INCIDENT
MARGAO: Taking cognisance of the electrocution incident in the city near the Old Hari Mandir on Saturday morning, Margao MLA Digambar Kamat has said he has sought a report from the Electricity engineers on the tragic incident.
He, however, said that the Electricity Department is not to be blamed for the incident since the power panel box is intact without any current.
“I spoke to the Assistant Engineer, electricity after the incident came to light. There’s no fault from the department side. It is suspected that the electric wire taken by the traders to light up the advertising sign boards might have come in contact with the iron poles, where the boards are all installed,” he said.
Saying that it is blatantly illegal to take power connections from the shops to the boards without taking safeguards, Kamat said it is apparent that the traders must not have laid the cable to take the connection in order to save the cost.
“I have told the engineer to find out the trader and the shop that was responsible behind the incident,” he added.
