New Delhi: An accident tribunal has rapped the officials of Reliance Power-owned BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd for "blatant negligence" and failure to remove an iron pole which electrocuted a man, while directing the discom to pay Rs 23 lakh as compensation.


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The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal asked the company to pay Rs 23 lakh as compensation to the family of a 30-year-old man who had died and slapped an additional "special cost" of Rs two lakh for prolonging the case for eight years.


The amount of Rs 23 lakh would be paid by discom's insurer Reliance General Insurance Company Ltd, it said.


MACT Presiding Officer Sujata Kohli said the testimony of BSES official along with photographs and documents "make it more than crystal clear that the electric shock caused to the deceased was because of blatant negligence or rather deliberate acquiescence and failure of duty on the part of the officials of BSES to have stopped the on going theft of electricity in the unauthorised manner.


"Had it been otherwise, and the iron pole in question being immediately removed upon coming to notice, the accident would have been easily avoided," the tribunal said.


It said the company was "duty bound to ensure that no loose or hanging wire may be there for causing disaster for users of the road. It's their duty to ensure nobody steals electricity."


The tribunal noted that it was in the knowledge of the officials that an iron pole in the Zakir Nagar area of South Delhi, which was being used by the people to steal electricity and said that the inaction on part of BSES "speaks volumes about their gross negligence and failure to do their duty."


A petition seeking compensation was filed by the victim Sohaib Allam's mother who died during pendency of the case. It alleged that on June 15, 2007, when Allam was passing through a street, he got a shock from the pole and fell unconscious.


Allam, a tailor, was taken to hospital where he was declared 'brought dead' by doctors.


The petition alleged that the incident took place due to negligence of BSES as several wires were tied carelessly to the pole and various complaints were made to the officials but nobody tried to rectify it.


BSES, however, said residents of the area had illegally installed iron pole besides the electric pole to facilitate electricity theft by putting uninsulated wires and the alleged accident was result of it.