nagpur :-DCP Mishra to issue restraining order

Deputy commissioner of police (zone IV) Nishith Mishra is all set to crack the whip on a private television service provider after three cases of electrocutions were registered in the recent past. The tragic incidents occurred due to indiscriminate wiring by the local cable network.

Mishra will soon slap a restraining order against the erring cable operator making it compulsory to seek permission from the concerned departments, including the police, before installing overhead wires meant for providing cable connections.

The three deaths due to electrocutions, including that of a child, in two different cases prompted the initiative. In both the incidents, police said that the same private cable provider was involved.

In the first case, a woman was electrocuted in Hanuman Nagar in April after she stepped into water near a tap where a snapped wire had fallen. There was much hue and cry against the cable operators after her death.

The second incident, a child was among the two victims who were electrocuted due to negligent wiring by cable operators while carrying out repairs. The cable operator`s employee was trying to fix the wire when his equipment damaged the live wire, which was dangerously close. This resulted in a spark which killed the worker and the child who was standing close to him.

Mishra said that section 290 of Indian Penal Code (IPC) had been slapped against the cable operator in both the cases after acts of negligence claimed three lives.

Mishra intends to take action that would go a long way in preventing such mishaps.

"I shall be issuing the restraining order to the cable operator under the provision of Criminal Procedure Code (CRPC)," said Mishra.

"We are trying to ensure that the cable operator does not take the liberty of connecting overhead wires in any discriminate manner. They have been mostly using poles of Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) without permission. Later, the mishaps that follow lead to loss of public life and damage to public property," said Mishra.

In the recent past, Mishra had also raided the office of a cable operator in Ajni after there was a complaint of dubious activities.

Mishra intends to bring about stricter punishment by invoking section 291 of the IPC against cable operators if they violate orders.

Section 291 of the IPC can lead to imprisonment up to six months or fine or both if the accused is found engaging in flouting norms repeatedly.