Cuttack: National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has sought an action taken report from the state govt over the electrocution death of a 45-year-old woman in Koraput district, taking cognisance of a complaint that alleged official negligence in maintenance of a high-voltage power line despite repeated warnings.In a letter issued to the Odisha chief secretary on July 21, the commission directed the state govt to submit a report within two weeks on the death of Saraswati Prepeka of Badarshankha village under Laxmipur block.NHRC acted on a complaint filed by Jeypore-based human rights activist and advocate Anup Kumar Patro, who alleged that the victim died on Jan 28 after coming into contact with a dangerously low-hanging 33 kV electricity line hanging barely 4 feet above the ground.“The commission has received a complaint… regarding the electrocution death of Saraswati Prepeka,” the NHRC noted, adding that the complainant alleged villagers had repeatedly alerted the electricity department about the hazardous condition of the line but no corrective action was taken.According to the complaint, villagers claimed that a woman and two cows earlier died at the same location due to the sagging power line. Despite these incidents and repeated representations, the electricity department allegedly failed to repair or raise the line, resulting in another fatality.Patro informed the commission that an FIR was registered on Jan 30 and the victim’s family received Rs 2 lakh as interim compensation following public protests. However, he sought an independent inquiry into the incident, Rs 10 lakh ex gratia for the next of kin, disciplinary and criminal action against officials found responsible, and a comprehensive safety audit of high-tension electricity lines across Koraput district.The complaint also alleged that power supply remained disrupted for more than 30 hours in Laxmipur and Kashipur blocks after the incident, affecting thousands of residents.Invoking Article 21 of the Constitution, the complainant argued that “the right to life… includes the right to safety from preventable hazards” and contended that the failure to maintain high-voltage electricity lines amounted to a “grave violation of human rights”.Taking cognisance of the matter, the NHRC forwarded the complaint to the chief secretary for “necessary action” and directed the state govt to furnish an action taken report within two weeks.
