Negligence By Tangedco And GCC Led To Woman's Electrocution Death In Anna Nagar

A 59-year-old woman died on Monday, August 24, after falling into a stormwater drain pit with an exposed live wire along Second Avenue in Anna Nagar, following a 25-day delay by Tangedco and the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) to repair damaged power cables.

Official communication reveals that Tangedco was aware of the exposed live wire as early as July 31. The assistant engineer for operation and maintenance in Anna Nagar north had written to the GCC assistant engineer of ward 103, stating that civic excavation had damaged high-tension and low-tension power cables as well as distribution pillar boxes, triggering frequent power cuts and consumer complaints.

The Tangedco official identified 11 damaged spots across Second Avenue, Fourth Main Road, and 20th Street, including locations near MRF, Khazana, Roundtana, and the Anna Nagar Tower metro station. Across these points, four locations had fully damaged cables, four had partial damage, two had multiple cable punctures and joint damages, and one suffered plinth damage. At the accident spot near Anna Nagar Tower metro, a 90-metre section of a high-tension line was punctured.

The letter also highlighted that low-tension cable damages remained unattended and were deeply embedded in concrete, making repairs difficult without damaging the newly constructed stormwater drain. The assistant engineer requested GCC to provide L-shaped rods measuring 1.25 feet at 10-foot intervals to lay cables safely inside the drains, while noting that civic workers failed to coordinate with Tangedco during night works.

Despite the warning on July 31, the GCC executive engineer of Anna Nagar zone forwarded the letter to the contractor executing the Rs 17-crore stormwater drain project only on August 17. The contractor procured replacement materials worth Rs 6.45 lakh and handed them over to the Tangedco assistant engineer at 3:42 p.m. on August 22. Tangedco had nearly two full days to complete the repairs before the fatal incident occurred, but the exposed wire remained unfixed.

Arappor Iyakkam convener Jayaram Venkadesan stated that accountability lies with those who dug the road. He noted that GCC needs a faster mechanism to procure replacement items instead of relying on a slow cycle of inspections and written correspondence, while also calling for an inquiry into the necessity of the drain project along that stretch. GCC and Tangedco officials were unavailable for comment.