One year later: Another shocking death, no lessons learned

LUCKNOW: A year after the tragic death of a 16-year-old girl who was electrocuted when she came into contact with a lamp post near Phoenix Mall, a 15-year-old boy died in a similar incident in Shankarpurwa district. The boy accidentally touched a lamp post from which electricity was flowing while exercising at a public gym. The incident sparked outrage among local residents over the negligence and lack of accountability of the LMC officials.

Despite numerous promises of safety audits, accountability and reforms following the previous incident, no concrete measures have been taken to prevent such tragedies. The Junior Engineer (JE) responsible for the previous incident is still in office and other negligent officials have evaded consequences. This has raised serious doubts about the efficiency and responsibility of the LMC's approach to public safety.

“We imposed a fine of ₹5 lakh against Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) last year, and this year the LMC has imposed a fine of ₹10 lakh to EESL, the agency responsible for maintaining these poles (tall masts) in the parks,” said Manoj Prabhat, chief engineer, street lighting and garbage collection department.

“There are more than 2,000 tall poles in city parks and over 200,000 street lights. We conduct regular inspections,” Prabhat continued, defending the LMC's efforts.

“The LMC has around 36 switchmen who switch on and off street lights, along with 8 junior engineers, 2 senior engineers and more than 12 supervisors who regularly check the lights and monitor the maintenance work done by EESL. In addition, the LMC has more than 300 employees who look after the replacement and repair of street lights by EESL,” he said.

He further said that for the first time, the LMC has decided to conduct a comprehensive audit of all poles to check whether the lines are properly insulated and taped, whether the poles are safe for residents and staff and whether the switches are in good condition.

Siddharth Dwivedi, a resident of LDA Colony on Kanpur Road, expressed his frustration: “What is the point of these checks if the officials responsible go unpunished and no improvements are seen on the ground? People keep getting electrocuted and the authorities keep making empty promises.”

Municipal councillor Ranjeet Singh, who raised the issue of electrocution deaths during a recent LMC house meeting, was also critical. “I have repeatedly written to the LMC chief engineer to improve the quality of poles and wires for street lighting. In many places, the street lights do not even have proper switches. The switchmen have to connect open wires to switch on the street lights, risking their own safety and that of the residents passing nearby.”

Meanwhile, Municipal Commissioner Inderjit Singh said the loss of life was deeply regrettable and assured that the LMC would take necessary steps to ensure safety of all poles. “We are determined to bring the employees responsible for the boy's death to book,” he said.

Despite these assurances, public confidence in the LMC's promises remains low, said a senior official from the LMC's street lighting department. “The recurrence of these tragic incidents reflects a deeper problem in the system. EESL officials are not listening to us because they know that the LMC cannot remove them from their jobs. The engineers and supervisors must explain why this incident happened. Audits alone will not do anything unless there is a will to take action against employees who are doing their jobs recklessly,” he said.

Exposed cables remain a constant threat

LUCKNOW: Even after the heartbreaking death of a 15-year-old boy, the LMC authorities have yet to secure exposed power lines in several parks in the city, leaving the lives of local residents at risk. The tragic incident, which should have served as a wake-up call, seems to have failed to prompt the departments concerned to take necessary action.

The affected areas include Nishat Ganj, Indira Nagar, Alambagh, Jankipuram Extension, Gomti Nagar and a few others. Most of the parks are managed by the Lucknow Municipal Corporation, except Arvindo Park which is managed by the Uttar Pradesh Housing and Development Board (Awas Vikas Parishad).

A recent inspection by Hindustan Times (HT) has highlighted the alarming state of parking infrastructure in key areas of the city. An example of this is Arvindo Park in Sector 13 of Indira Nagar. The park, which attracts around 100 visitors daily, has over 50 light poles, most of which have dangerously exposed cables hanging down without any protective covering. Visitors expressed deep concern about the potential dangers, especially during the rainy season when the risk of electrocution increases dramatically.

Similar negligence was seen at Shiv Mandir Park in Sector 8 of Indira Nagar, where exposed wires were still lying on the ground – a dangerous situation that can easily lead to accidents. Moreover, a water pump in the park was not covered, leaving its wires exposed, further increasing the risk to the public. At Samridhi Park in Sector 9 of Indira Nagar, the situation was similar: the wires of the electricity poles were not wrapped and no safety covers were fitted to the poles.