Four labourers electrocuted

Mysore/Mysuru: In separate incidents, four labourers were electrocuted in Varuna and Metagalli Police limits in city. While three labourers died at Varuna, one more died in Metagalli.

In the first incident, three labourers who were transporting maize stalks in a truck were electrocuted when the truck came in contact with a power line at Keelanapura in Varuna Police limits yesterday.

The deceased are Teju (21), Mahadevaswamy alias Siddaraju (26) and Mahadevanayaka (46), all residents of Hosapura village in T. Narasipur taluk.

Yesterday, 10 labourers from Hosapura village had come in a truck belonging to Siddappa to Keelanapura village to load maize stalks to be transported as  fodder to the cattle at Pinjrapole in Mysuru.

After the maize stalks were loaded, the truck left Hosapura village. As there are power lines on the way to Mysuru, Mahadevanayaka used to get down from the truck, walk ahead of the truck and inform the truck driver whether the truck could pass below the power lines.

But Mahadevanayaka, at one point, tried to climb the truck before it could pass below the power line and the truck came in contact with the power line. Immediately, Mahadevanayaka was electrocuted and he fell down screaming. Hearing his screams, Teju and Mahadevaswamy tried to get down from the truck and both were electrocuted.

While Mahadevaswamy and Mahadevanayaka died on the spot, Teju breathed his last enroute to a hospital. Meanwhile, those sitting in the driver’s cabin including the truck driver had a miraculous escape. A major mishap was averted as the truck driver drove the vehicle from below the power line and stopped.

Meanwhile, Varuna Sub-Inspector T.S. Lolakshi said that the truck was overloaded which resulted in the power line coming in contact with the truck. A case has been registered against the truck driver and the owner of the truck, she said and added that the bodies were shifted to MMC&RI mortuary for post-mortem.

The Sub-Inspector said that the bodies would be handed over to the family members after the post-mortem today. In the second incident, another labourer, who was summoned to install electric poles at Metagalli Industrial Area was electrocuted.

The deceased is Mahadevaswamy (33), son of Shivanna and a resident of Kochanahalli near Kadakola in the taluk.  Following heavy rains and wind the previous day, more than 20 electric poles were damaged as tree branches had fallen on them. To get the damaged electric poles replaced and restore power connection, Contractor Prabhu had brought labourers Mahadevaswamy, Basappa, Yashwanth Kumar and Ganesh from Kochanahalli for the repair works.

Mahadevaswamy and others, who removed the damaged electric poles, were installing new poles and were giving power connections near the Petrol Bunk close to JK Tyre. While Mahadevaswamy was giving the power connection at about 3 pm, he was electrocuted and fell to the ground. Though he was rushed to a private hospital Mahadevaswamy breathed his last, according to those who were with him.

The body was shifted to MMC&RI mortuary and the villagers, who heard the news of Mahadevaswamy’s death, rushed to the mortuary and held CESC officials responsible for Mahadevaswamy’s death. The villagers demanded Rs. 30 lakh compensation be given to Mahadevaswamy’s family to which V.V. Mohalla CESC officials assured of getting adequate compensation.

Meanwhile, V.V. Mohalla CESC Executive Engineer Chikkasiddegowda, speaking to ‘SOM’ said that following gusty winds on Wednesday evening in Metagalli Industrial area and surrounding places, most of the electric poles were damaged and to erect new poles three Contractors were given the works.

He further said that Prabhu was getting the repair work done from Mahadevaswamy and when the last work of giving the ‘jump connection’ was being undertaken by Mahadevaswamy, one of the industries switched on the generator following which Mahadevaswamy may have been electrocuted, he added. The cause for his death would be known only after the post-mortem, he said.