A 23-year-old woman died due to electrocution in Bengaluru after slipping in the waterlogged streets of Whitefield Main Road on Monday night. Following the death of the woman, the city police on Tuesday registered a case of death due to negligence against Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) and Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials.
The deceased, identified as Akhila, was returning home on her scooty. While she was towing her two-wheeler on a waterlogged street near Mayura Bakery, she lost balance and held onto an electric pole for support.
She got electrocuted and was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she was declared dead on arrival.
Following a complaint filed by the parents of the victim, a case under Section 304 A of the Indian Penal Code for causing death due to negligence has been registered against BESCOM and the BBMP at the Whitefield police station, a police inspector said.
The incident has now triggered a row of disquiet among people and residents of Bangalore who have been dissatisfied with the government's negligence of the infrastructure.
"Accountability and responsibility is what is missing. A 23 year girl died in near Sarjapur area of Bengaluru due to electrocution. Severe water-logging led to her death. Akila was returning home on her scooter and due to flooding, she lost balance and hit electric pole," wrote a Twitter user.
This was the first reported death at the IT Hub that has been flooded due to heavy downpours. Lakes and stormwater have overflowed flooding the surrounding low-lying areas.
The situation in several parts of rain battered Bengaluru, by and large, continued to remain the same on Tuesday, with streets waterlogged, houses and vehicles partially inundated, as torrential downpour lashed the capital city on September 5 night. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued forecast heavy rainfall, thunderstorms and lightning in Karnataka.
Using boats and tractors to cross the streets submerged in water by office goers and school children was a common sight this morning in several parts of the city like Yemalur, Rainbow Drive layout, Sunny Brooks Layout, and Marathahalli among several others.
However, several private schools have declared holidays and have switched to online teaching for a few days, while many offices have suggested employees work from home.
Most parts of the Outer Ring Road, Sarjapur road, that houses some IT firms resembled lakes, affecting the movement of traffic.
Bikers pushing their two-wheelers that were stuck and pedestrians struggling to navigate through knee-deep water was a common sight in some places.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who chaired a meeting of senior Ministers and officials on Monday night said a decision has been taken to release Rs 300 crore to deal with the current rain situation as well as the maintenance of basic infrastructure in Bengaluru.
