The Meghalaya State Human Rights Commission has directed the state government to pay Rs 2 lakh each as compensation to the next of kin of five labourers who died of electrocution in North Garo Hills district in July this year.
The Commission also directed the government to pay compensation of Rs 50,000 each to the other five seriously injured persons.
The payments should be made within two months, the Commission said in an interim order.
The Commission has taken suo motu action of a July 26 news report of an accident that had taken place the previous evening at Maniganj village in North Garo Hills.
Five labourers were killed and five others injured when the road-construction machine they were moving on the road came in contact with an overhead high-tension wire.
The Commission also pulled up the Meghalaya Power Transmission Corporation for its failure to regularly check and maintain the 11 KV high transmission line from Agia to Mendipathar.
"The executive engineers deputed at the site clearly failed in their duties leading to such a colossal loss of human lives," the Commission said its order issued on Thursday.