Overview

• On August 5 in Vennelabailu village, 35-year-old farmer Parsika Raju was electrocuted and his motorcycle caught fire after striking a low-hanging distribution line.
• Circle Inspector Ravinder confirmed that Raju was charred at the scene by a live high-tension wire and is survived by his wife and two children.
• Local farmers blamed a broken insulator and inadequate ground clearance on lines crossing fields and held Northern Power Distribution Company Limited responsible for the negligence.
• The Kothagudem accident echoes a June 24 Balaghat incident when monsoon rains caused a fallen power line to sag into a roadway, electrocuting three members of the Pache family.
• Victims’ families are eligible for statutory compensation, but local advocates say financial relief cannot replace preventive infrastructure reforms such as stricter inspections and raised line clearances.