A tragic electrocution claimed the life of a 66-year-old woman in Kolkata’s southern neighborhood on Saturday, pushing the death toll from similar incidents in and around the city to 11 since last Tuesday.
Srabanti Debi died right in front of her shop on Behala-Sarsuna Road. Heavy rains had caused severe waterlogging in the area, blocking access to her business since Tuesday. An eyewitness described the heartbreaking moment: “Even on Saturday, the water hadn’t fully drained. She stepped out in the rainwater to open the shop and touched a bare electricity wire hidden underwater.”
Locals quickly called the police and CESC Limited, the private company that handles power distribution in Kolkata and nearby Howrah. Rescuers pulled Debi’s body from the scene and rushed it to Vidyasagar Hospital, where doctors pronounced her dead on arrival. A CESC spokesperson later explained that the faulty wire was linked to a light on the shop’s tin roof.
This latest fatality adds to a string of deadly accidents tied to Kolkata’s waterlogging woes. On Tuesday alone, 10 people lost their lives across West Bengal—eight of them in Kolkata—after coming into contact with exposed power lines submerged in floodwaters from the rains.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee pointed fingers at CESC, slamming the company for ignoring her repeated calls to upgrade its aging infrastructure. “They hold a monopoly on power in the city, but safety keeps falling short,” she said.
In response, CESC pledged Rs 5 lakh in compensation to each affected family, while the state government offered an additional Rs 2 lakh.
The crisis has drawn sharp scrutiny from the courts too. Earlier this week, a bench at the Calcutta High Court stepped in, demanding reports from both CESC and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC). CESC must detail any network failures, and KMC has to outline steps to fix the city’s sewer system and curb future waterlogging during monsoons.
These electrocution deaths in Kolkata highlight the urgent need for better power safety and drainage amid frequent heavy rains, leaving families devastated and communities on edge.
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