A 38-year-old man died of severe burn injuries and another is reported to be critical after they came into contact with a 220 kV power line passing above the first floor balcony of a building, in severe violation of regulations, in southeast Delhi's Shaheen Bagh area today.
The incident took place around 3.30 PM when Bhura and Intihar, both labourers who migrated from Uttar Pradesh, were fitting tiles at the first floor of the under-construction building over which the high tension wire passed by, a senior police official said.
They were cautious throughout but while operating on a tiles-cutter machine, they accidentally came within the range of the 220 kV cable and were pulled by its force.
They came into contact with the wire, following which Bhura died on spot and Intihar was rushed to hospital where he is fighting for his life, the official said.
A case of criminal negligence has been registered in connection with the matter at Jamia Nagar Police Station and investigators are trying to trace the builder and owner of the under-construction property, the official added.
"The power lines were installed in accordance with law but with time, people started encroaching upon lands below them. The fact that a 220 kV power line was situated above the balcony of a building reflects utter violation of regulations," said Rishi Raj Bhati, spokesperson of Delhi Transco Limited.
The land below the high-tension wires which has allegedly been encroached upon belong to civic agencies and this matter was taken up with them several times.
Delhi Transco Limited has also issued multiple notices to many such violators, Bhati said, adding a distance of at least 17.50 metres must mandatory be left on both sides of such high power wires.
Any object up to a vertical distance of 6 metres and horizontal distance of 7.5 m comes within the field of a 220 kV power line and will be pulled towards it.
In many cases -- for instance, in southeast Delhi's Jamia Nagar and Khajoori Khas areas in the trans-Yamuna region -- Transco increased the height of high tension wires but encroachers allegedly ended up increasing floors to their buildings taking advantage of the safety arrangement, an official said.
