A 28-year-old youth was seriously injured after a thick supply wire struck his neck while he was riding a bike on Sinhagad Road in Pune. The incident took place around 2pm on Saturday near Santosh Hall, as the victim, Vishwa Pardesi, was travelling from Nanded City towards Pune.
Speaking to The Free Press Journal, Pardesi said, "The wire was hanging loosely and suddenly dropped, slashing my neck, which caused me to lose my balance, and I fell off my bike, sustaining injuries, while the pillion rider suffered a leg injury in the fall. We immediately filed a complaint with the Pune Municipal Corporation's Electric Department. However, officials said that there's no ongoing work happening in that area, and they registered the complaint. The official told me that they will visit the site on Tuesday to check where the wire appeared."
"There are still several wires hanging from the bridge. It's an accident waiting to happen. I also spoke with the flyover site engineer. He said the wires were not part of the flyover work and that he had repeatedly requested the PMC to remove them," added the victim.
The construction of the flyover is going on near Santosh Hall, and tangled overhead cables, often left hanging carelessly, can be seen in that area.
"The entire area near the flyover is posing a risk for the commuters as the wire can take somebody's life, and PMC officials are now owning up to the responsibility. The flyover engineer is pointing fingers at the PMC, and the civic body is not taking up the responsibility. I urge the authorities to undertake wire-cutting operations in the area," Pardesi further said.
An FIR has been filed, and the identity of the wire owner - whether PMC, a contractor, or a private entity remains unclear.
Manisha Shekatkar, Head of the Electrical Department, PMC, said, "The wire that fell down was not of PMC and it was from a cable operator. We have registered an FIR and action would be taken against them."
