APDCL pays compensation to family of man who died of

Assam Power Distribution Corporation Limited (APDCL) has handed over a compensation of Rs 2.5 lakh to the wife of a man who died of electrocution in Dhemaji district after Assam Human Rights Commission took suo moto cognizance of the matter.

The commission had taken cognizance of the incident following a news item published in a local daily on July 18, 2017 which reported that Anidhar Saikia of Narauthan Balijan Gaon in Dhemaji district was electrocuted while climbing a tree and he later succumbed to his injuries, an AHRC release said on Tuesday.

The AHRC issued notice to the managing director of APDCL to conduct an inquiry into the circumstances leading to Saikia's death, it said.

The enquiry which was carried out by the Electrical Inspector, Tezpur Zone, was of the tentative opinion that the APDCL was guilty of contravening the Central Electricity Authority's measures relating to Safety and Electric Supply regulations, 2010 as amended in 2015 which led to the death of Saikia.

The deputy general manager of the APDCL offered to pay a compensation of Rs 2.5 lakh and the cheque was handed over to Saikia's widow Pratibha Saikia on Monday in the presence of AHRC's full bench comprising Chairperson Justice T Vaiphei and members N K Bora and D K Saikia, it added.