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Tuesday, 17 August 2010

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An avoidable tragedy

The entire nation no doubt would have been stunned with shock and grief at the tragedy in Pathulhatha where three children of the same family who were in group of 10 others plucking rambutan were electrocuted when the iron pole they were using made contact with a high tension power line running through the higher branches of the tree.

This is not the first time that death by electrocution has been reported. In fact, this has now become an all too common occurrence. But what sets apart the present tragedy from the rest is the culpability of the Ceylon Electricity Board in these deaths which could easily have been prevented if not for the gross negligence of its duty by the CEB.

No less than a high powered inquiry is called for to get to the bottom of the matter and to deal severely with those responsible for failing to attend to a simple task such as cutting a few branches to remove a obstruction to a high powered power line.

Today, the entire village of Pathulhatha is in mourning. Nay it should be cause for mourning by the entire nation at this senseless loss of lives of three innocent children.

The Pathulhatha tragedy no doubt has sunk deep into the minds of the people for its pathos.

Three children of the same family have been suddenly snatched away from their parents like a bolt from the blue. Such tragedies largely went unnoticed during the war years when life became a cheap commodity.

Now with killings and bombings no longer an everyday staple other crime are increasingly gaining the attention of the public. For indeed, a crime it was on the part of the Ceylon Electricity Board whose wanton negligence resulted in snuffing out three young lives in the first flush of their bloom.

The fate that befell young Sandamali, Madhuka and Saranga (a brother and sister duo plus cousin) is also an eye opener to most parents who today tend to be careless. The children who were plucking rambutan were 10 year olds and had apparently been left to their own devices.

A little more parental attention could have saved the tragedy. If the Pathulhatha has brought home one message it is for more vigilance on the part of parents and elders on their young offspring.

This though in no way exonerates the CEB who stands guilty for criminal negligence and lethargy.

It should collectively hold its head in shame and beat its breast for contributing to this tragedy in no small measure.

We often come across in newspapers CEB notices announcing power cuts in designated areas for “urgent repair work.”

One would have thought that clearing obstructions across high tension power lines are part of this “urgent repair work.” But apparently not. Had it been so, the high tension power lines that brought death in Pathulhatha would have been cleared of the rambutan branches that concealed them from view and three innocent lives spared.

Paradoxically these branches were cut off and cleared after the tragedy indicating the branches should not have been there in the first place.

Therefore, the CEB cannot escape culpability for this crime and those responsible should be brought to book and the severest punishment meted out to the guilty party as a deterrent against apathy and negligence.

Ideally, an inquiry should be ordered from the top to ascertain which officer or officers of in the Ratnapura Electricity Depot was responsible for failing to order the clearing of obstructions to power lines or if any such order had not been carried out by CEB crew. No room should be allowed for passing the buck.

Death is one thing but ‘wilful murder’ is another. What happened on that fateful Saturday in Pathulhatha is nothing short of ‘wilful murder’. Justice should be done by the three innocent children who lost their lives.

Not only obstructions caused by tree branches, today it is common to see live wires loosely dangling from electricity posts posing a real danger to road users. Especially after heavy rains one sees electricity cables hanging from transformers and those not alert run the risk of electrocution.

The CEB should take prompt action to repair such damages and a hotline opened for the public to provide information on such instances. The people pay huge electricity bills to the CEB expecting an all round service and not be the cause of their deaths through negligence as witnessed in Pathulhatha.

Dengue can be controlled

Dengue cases and deaths are on the increase in spite of some intensive clean up campaigns. In 2007, we repeated the same preventive measures that are functioning today and did not observe much appreciable control. Cases continued at the same intensity in 2008 and 2009 although we applied same measures much more vigorously and failed again to see some effective results although cases ceased in all occasions

Full Story

On murder that comes dressed as suicide

Dr David Kelly was Britain’s most senior weapons inspector in Iraq. He was found dead in the woods near his home. The coroner’s inquiry report said Kelly had taken a non-lethal dose of painkillers cut his left wrist and bled to death

Full Story

Drawing a fair line

Why is gender equality slow-paced in Sri Lanka?

The social justice argument for gender equality has always been for the narrowing of the gap between employment of men and women. This has unconsciously gained momentum because of the ageing population and the low birth rate, which inevitably demands more women to be employed

Full Story

Political tantrums should not stand in the way

The opposition political parties on the pretext of democracy attempt to paralyze the development drive carried out by the Government. At this point no political party or individual is larger than the national development

Full Story

 

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