Guwahati: As a youth died of electrocution recently at Bhupen Hazarika Samadhi Kshetra in the city, a civil society group has
raised its voice for a total rearrangement of the power supply system in India. The deceased, identified as Subham Roy hailed from Pandu
locality of Guwahati, accidentally died due to
electrocution when he touched the fountain water inside the campus. Subham was immediately taken to a city hospital, but the high school
student succumbed to injuries.
Understanding the gravity of the situation where India loses nearly 10,000 people to electrocution deaths annually, the Patriotic People’s
Front Assam (PPFA) insists on a national debate for reducing the standard supply voltages (alternate current with 50 hertz) from 240 to
120 (or even lower in volt differences) across the country.
“Accidental electrocution (including few suicidal attempts) cases are reportedly high in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar
Pradesh, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Kerala, Odisha, Uttarakhand, Assam etc,” said a
PPFA statement adding that besides human deaths, the faulty high voltage wires also kill dozens of animals.
Mentioning about the future need of energy, the PPFA opined that the government should encourage more alternate sources like solar power in
the country, particularly for north-eastern States with hilly terrains, forest covers with visible presence of wildlife, where the
laying of high voltage wires for longer distances always faces
difficulties.
