New Delhi: Taking note of death of three
persons due to electrocution in a pool of water on a city
road, the NHRC has asked the Delhi power secretary to submit a
report on it by March 22, failing which he could be summoned.
The direction came on February 15 as the secretary in
the department of power did not give a report on the issue
within the stipulated time of four weeks as asked by the
commission on December 7 last year.
However, a letter from the power department on
February 24 said that the relevant documents "are not
traceable in this office" and requested that the same may be
"sent to this office so that the requisite report" could be
sent.
"The department is saying that the complaint is
untraceable. However, the copy of the complaint, the first
letter from NHRC and the February 15 letter from the
Commission were sent on the same address," lawyer and rights
activist Radha Kanta Tripathy, who had filed the petition
before the Commission, said.
Three persons, including a father-daughter duo, were
electrocuted after coming into contact with a live wire in a
pool of water on a road in Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar on
November 17. Arguing that it is a case of criminal negligence
on the part of government officials, the petitioner sought a
probe into the matter and compensation to victims` families.
The NHRC had on December 7 asked the power secretary
to take appropriate action and submit an action taken report
in four weeks. It had on February 15 sent a reminder asking
the official "to submit report within four weeks failing which
the Commission shall be constrained to issue coercive process
under section 13 (relating to summoning) of the Protection of
Human Rights Act, 1993".
PTI
