Pune: An employee on contract with Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) was electrocuted while trimming creepers dangling on an electrical pole near a nullah behind Swar Swara housing society around 2:20pm on Aug 7 in Wadgaon Budruk.Sinhagad police identified the deceased as Mehboob Pathan (42) from Shivane.Sub-inspector Amol Malusure on Friday said Pathan used a ladder to reach atop the 20 feet pole and started trimming the creepers. At this point, his left hand came in contact with a live wire.Malusure said his colleagues immediately took Pathan to the Sassoon General Hospital, where he succumbed during treatment. The hospital, in its advance post-mortem report, certified the cause of death as electrocution.Prima facie investigations revealed that the wireman did not disconnect the power supply before trimming. The victim was not wearing safety gloves, he said.The victim’s brother, Guddu Pathan, also an employee on contract with MSEDCL, was present at the spot. He registered an FIR relating to causing death due to negligence under the provisions of section 106 (1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).Malusure said a letter has been sent to the electrical department inspector of state PWD to conduct an inquiry into the incident and submit a report.An MSEDCL official, requesting anonymity, said the victim was removing a tree branch that got stuck between the wires when he came in contact with the live wire.The official said the inquiry report and panchnama received from the PWD electrical inspector would reveal if there was a negligence on the part of the wireman or not. A decision whether any action against the wireman will be taken or not may be taken based on the findings of the inquiry.The official said, “We have appointed private agencies for undertaking maintenance works in different parts of the city on a staggering day every Thursday of the week. In this case, the agency appointed has insured all its employees on contract as per the terms and conditions of the contract. It is responsible for paying suitable compensation to the legal heir of the victim. As of now, interim compensation of Rs 20,000 was given to meet funeral and other expenses. In addition, requisite permission was taken for trimming trees and creepers creating obstructions to the power supply on electrical poles from PMC.”
