Riyaz Malik
After the electrocution of two persons in Budgam district, the J&K Government has ordered a magisterial probe into the circumstances that led to the incident earlier this month highlighting the faults in the power transmission network system.
The poor transmission network of the Power Development Department (PDD), poor maintenance of cables, grid stations and transformers and non-adherence to safety standards by the department is posing a threat to the lives of people not only in Budgam but across the state.
During the eight-hour journey from Jammu town to the historic town of Poonch nestled in the Pir Panjal mountain range, a visitor witnesses not just the beauty of nature in gurgling rivers and lush green forests, but also the indifference of both the State and Central Governments that has pushed this border district into being classified as one of the most backward regions of the state.
People living in various villages in Poonch face a plethora of problems ranging from issues related to water, schools, roads and health facilities to electricity. The local authorities are negligent and callous. Take electricity. There are increasing cases of villagers being electrocuted because of live wires left lying around by the J&K Electricity Board.
Thirty-three-year-old Nizammuddin was the most recent victim of the apathy of the electricity authorities. A farmer, Nizammuddin is from Saloniya panchayat of Mandi tehsil in Poonch. He was working in his field last month when he got entangled in electric wires that had broken loose from the pole. Hearing him scream in pain and shock, villagers rushed to the spot and saved him from electrocution. They took him to the district hospital in Poonch where he was provided first-aid and then referred to the Government Medical College in Jammu where he was admitted for a while. When his condition did not improve, he was referred to a private hospital in Ludhiana. After days of treatment, his right arm was amputated below the elbow, leaving him handicapped for life. To make matters worse, a few days later, complications arose in his left arm too, leading to a net expense of over Rs 600,000 on his treatment – with no improvement so far.
“I have borrowed money from almost every household in my village. The doctors have suggested further treatment but my family has run out of money to meet my medical expenses. I spent my entire life working hard to be able to provide a good education and a better life for my son but due to the negligence of the electricity department, our entire family will have to suffer now,” rued Mohammad Haneef, his father.
Representatives of the electricity department visited him only when an FIR was registered against them two days after the accident. They were quick to make written promises to take care of the medical expenses and get him a Government job, even as they requested his family to withdraw the FIR.
As the family feared, the department soon turned a blind eye to his plight. “The Assistant Engineer wanted to get rid of the matter by offering us Rs 30,000. Our family refused to take that money. We still have that note with us but there is no one to take action against the department,” said Mohammad Deen, Nizam’s maternal uncle. The officials refused to comment on the issue.
This isn’t the first case. In 2011, 40-year-old Batcha died of electrocution when he ventured from his agricultural land in Dangiwacha village in Sopore, leaving behind a widow and two sons to fight for his case. In 2009, 12-year-old Romesh Kumar and his maternal grandfather died when they came in contact with an electric wire tied to a wooden pole. In 1996, Mohammad Bashir was electrocuted when he accidentally stepped on a broken live wire while walking towards the main road in village Chokian in Kotdhara.
On 28 February this year, Sharifa Bano died in Reasi district after coming in contact with a 33 KV live wire lying in the fields in Bagga in Mahore. These cases reflect a pattern that, over the years, has seen no change, especially in villages which become soft targets of State apathy.
“Villagers saved my son’s life but he will now be forced to live a life of dependency. At this age, when he was supposed to take care of us, we are looking after him and his family,” said Nizam’s father who, at the age of 60, has returned to working in the fields.
The J&K Electricity Board should be taken to task for its negligence. There should be a thorough audit of its operations so that live wires are not left lying around. Not only should compensation be paid to the victims of its callousness, there should be sensitivity towards villagers whose voices hardly ever reach the media. It is these voices that can make the agenda of political parties truly pro-people.
(Charkha Features)
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