NEW DELHI: It wasn't a bolt of lightning but a
high-mast streetlight pole - public infrastructure planned and installed
by the state - that fell on 31-year-old Amit Jain during Saturday
afternoon's squall. Jain, who was riding his bike on the Geeta Colony
clover-leaf flyover, passed out with the shock. The falling 90-foot pole
battered his head, chest, shoulders and left hand.
Four days later, Jain lies critical and forgotten. His small family - wife Rekha and two-year-old son Aditya - faces a dark future, but the authorities have not considered comforting them in any way. There's no offer of material assistance. Instead, when TOI took up Jain's case with the road-owning agency, Public Works Department (PWD), the maintenance agency BSES, and the police, it started off a desperate game of pass-the-buck.
Police say they have registered a case under section 607 of IPC (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) at the Shakarpur police station and are trying to pin responsibility. PWD insists it is BSES' fault as the discom is in charge of maintaining the lights. But BSES protests it did its duty by complaining to police repeatedly about the theft of base nuts that anchor the poles to the ground.
"PWD has given the charge of maintenance to BSES, and it is their sole responsibility to ensure that the lights are properly maintained in every respect," said PWD director (works) Deepak Panwar.
A representative of BSES Yamuna Power Limited (BYPL), however, claimed: "With the strong gusts of wind, a couple of high masts have collapsed. But BYPL only supplies electricity and maintains the electrical fixtures and fittings of these high-mast lights on behalf of the concerned land owning agencies".
Worryingly, BSES claimed there are several other poorly anchored lights. "Recently, in some pockets of southeast Delhi - like Noida Morh, the area near Akshardham, ITO Chungi and Yamuna Pushta - we have found that miscreants have stolen not only the electrical fittings but also the foundation nuts and bolts of high-mast lights," said the BYPL representative.
"It is still a matter of investigation to determine who is responsible for the accident. I am not personally aware of a complaint of theft in this regard. However, in the case of a public utility, theft of bolts should not be an excuse for not maintaining the security of a mast light," said DCP (east) Prabhakar.
Two such light poles fell on the loop from Shakarpur towards ITO during Saturday's squall. Occupants of vehicles following Jain's bike had a narrow escape.
with thanks : Times of India : LINK : for detailed news.
Four days later, Jain lies critical and forgotten. His small family - wife Rekha and two-year-old son Aditya - faces a dark future, but the authorities have not considered comforting them in any way. There's no offer of material assistance. Instead, when TOI took up Jain's case with the road-owning agency, Public Works Department (PWD), the maintenance agency BSES, and the police, it started off a desperate game of pass-the-buck.
Police say they have registered a case under section 607 of IPC (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) at the Shakarpur police station and are trying to pin responsibility. PWD insists it is BSES' fault as the discom is in charge of maintaining the lights. But BSES protests it did its duty by complaining to police repeatedly about the theft of base nuts that anchor the poles to the ground.
"PWD has given the charge of maintenance to BSES, and it is their sole responsibility to ensure that the lights are properly maintained in every respect," said PWD director (works) Deepak Panwar.
A representative of BSES Yamuna Power Limited (BYPL), however, claimed: "With the strong gusts of wind, a couple of high masts have collapsed. But BYPL only supplies electricity and maintains the electrical fixtures and fittings of these high-mast lights on behalf of the concerned land owning agencies".
Worryingly, BSES claimed there are several other poorly anchored lights. "Recently, in some pockets of southeast Delhi - like Noida Morh, the area near Akshardham, ITO Chungi and Yamuna Pushta - we have found that miscreants have stolen not only the electrical fittings but also the foundation nuts and bolts of high-mast lights," said the BYPL representative.
"It is still a matter of investigation to determine who is responsible for the accident. I am not personally aware of a complaint of theft in this regard. However, in the case of a public utility, theft of bolts should not be an excuse for not maintaining the security of a mast light," said DCP (east) Prabhakar.
Two such light poles fell on the loop from Shakarpur towards ITO during Saturday's squall. Occupants of vehicles following Jain's bike had a narrow escape.
with thanks : Times of India : LINK : for detailed news.
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