NHRC issues notice to UP Power Corporation Ltd Chairman

Speed Post News Network

New Delhi: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognizance of a media report that both the hands of a ten year old girl had to be amputated at New Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital after she received severe burn injuries due to shock from a high voltage electricity line passing over the rooftop of her house at village Mirzapur in Rabupura area of Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, on July 7, 2016. She accidently touched the 11 KV high voltage line while playing with other children.

The NHRC has noted that in the reported incident, the state administration as well as the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited can’t escape their responsibility for not ensuring that such a high voltage line should not have passed through the residential areas at a height that even a child could touch it. Such inaction by the authorities aconcerned amounts to violation of Right to Life and Safety of the people.It has, accordingly, issued a notice to the District Magistrate Gautam Budh Nagar and Chairman, Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited, calling for a detail report on the matter within four weeks.  They are also expected to inform about the steps being taken to avoid such incident in the future.

The Commission has also observed that it has come across many such cases where due to the negligence of the authorities people were electrocuted.  Registration of a criminal case, fixing responsibility of the guilty and granting monetary relief to the victim would not alone compensate the loss in every case. It is imperative for the authorities to have a sensible approach to avoid occurrence of such horrific incidents, the NHRC said on Thursday.