Bescom has not learnt from Anish’s death

Bescom has not learnt from Anish’s death
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: One whole year has passed since seven-year-old Anish was electrocuted by a street light in Indiranagar. Though the accident had created a furore over safety of public electrical installations in the city then, not much seems to have changed since.

Official figures indicate that in Bangalore city alone, 21 people were electrocuted between April and June 2005. While 12 fatalities occurred in Bangalore North, nine people received lethal shocks in Bangalore South in the last three months. A total of nine non-fatal accidents occurred.

Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) has remained a mute spectator to these tragedies that occur with unfailing regularity.

Bescom linemen top the high-risk group of victims, closely followed by construction workers and children.

Anish was killed when he came in contact with an energised TV cable that was hanging from a street light. Following the outrage in the media, Bescom went on a cable cutting spree swearing never to let cable operators use electric poles for stringing their cables. But now not only are the cables back on street lights, they are still causing accidents.

Is there a solution to this deadly problem? If only Bescom and other distribution companies in the State are willing to implement it, the 850 electrical accidents that are caused annually in the State can be prevented. But do the ESCOMs care?

According to experts like former KEB Chairman B.G. Ruradrappa and former KEB Chief Engineer Jagannath Gupta, Aerial Bunched Conductor (ABC) is a viable and safe solution.

An ABC is a fully insulated, compact cluster of high efficiency conductor (electric wire) that costs slightly more the normal un-insulated lines. It not only reduces distribution losses but is also safe enough to be run over trees, buildings etc. without the risk of mishaps.