Prayagraj Tragedy: Two Workers Killed by High-Voltage Electrocution as Power Infrastructure Issues Persist Across City
Two Workers Lose Lives in Devastating Electrocution Accident
By BK Singh
Prayagraj: A tragic workplace accident claimed the lives of two labourers in Prayagraj’s Mumfordganj locality on Saturday afternoon after an aluminium rod came into contact with an 11,000-volt high-tension power line.
The incident occurred in Lal Patti area and sent shockwaves through the neighbourhood.
According to residents, carpenter Ramesh Sonkar, 55, a resident of Bada Baghada, had been carrying out renovation work at the residence of Khetai Lal, also known as Lalchand, for several days.
On Saturday, work was underway to install aluminium rods in a second-floor room of the house.
At around 1:30 p.m., Ramesh and another labourer were attempting to move and cut an aluminium rod outside the room.
During the process, the rod accidentally touched a high-voltage electricity line running in front of the house.
The powerful electric current instantly travelled through the metal rod, fatally electrocuting both workers on the spot.
The horrifying incident unfolded in the presence of Reena, the wife of the homeowner’s son, Pintu, who was supervising the work.
Witnessing the sudden electrocution, she began screaming for help, drawing family members and neighbours to the scene.
Police were immediately informed and arrived shortly thereafter to begin an investigation.
Colonelganj Station House Officer Sanjay Kumar Singh reached the location and questioned the property owner about the circumstances surrounding the accident.
While Ramesh Sonkar’s identity was confirmed, the second deceased worker had not been identified by late evening.
Family members revealed that Ramesh had brought the labourer to work with him for the first time that day.
Accident Site Revealed the Intensity of the Impact
The severity of the accident was evident from the condition of the site. A portion of the aluminium rod had melted due to the intense heat generated by the high-voltage current.
Reena narrowly escaped becoming another victim. She was inside the same room where the accident occurred and initially struggled to comprehend what had happened.
As she moved towards the workers to help them, she sensed the presence of electricity and quickly stepped back, raising an alarm that prevented her from coming into direct contact with the current.
The incident has once again highlighted the dangers posed by construction and repair work carried out in proximity to overhead high-tension power lines.
Tagore Town Transformer Fault Continues to Cause Disruptions
In a separate development, residents in several parts of Prayagraj continued to face electricity-related problems after a major power transformer at the Tagore Town substation remained partially dysfunctional on Saturday.
The transformer had developed a fault on Friday evening, disrupting electricity supply for nearly five hours in several localities, including the Children’s Hospital area and nearby neighbourhoods.
Power department officials said repair work was still underway.
Superintending Engineer A.K. Sinha stated that a team of technical experts was working to fully restore the transformer, while power supply had largely been normalised through alternative arrangements.
Multiple Areas Experience Power Supply Issues
Electricity disruptions were also reported from several other parts of the city on Saturday.
In the Khusro Bagh substation area, a 630 KVA transformer installed near Bengal Hotel experienced repeated tripping due to excessive load.
To address the issue, authorities installed an additional 250 KVA transformer, helping stabilise the power supply.
Meanwhile, electricity had to be temporarily suspended in the Bakshi Bandh substation area after current leakage was detected in a utility pole near Daily Meat. Maintenance teams carried out repairs before restoring service.
Residents in Kareli also faced outages after a distribution box near Akbarpur Kabristan developed a technical fault.
Similarly, in the Kalyani Devi substation zone, an underground cable fault and damage to a low-tension cable near Tagore Town School disrupted electricity supply for several hours.
Old Electricity Meters to Undergo Fresh Verification
The power department has also decided to conduct a fresh review of old electricity meters that were removed during the installation of smart meters.
Between November 2025 and April 2026, large-scale smart meter installations were carried out across several divisions, including Rambagh, Myohal, Bamrauli, Tagore Town, Naini, Karailabagh, and Kalyani Devi.
During preliminary inspections, officials found meter tampering in only 15 cases in the Rambagh division.
However, in divisions such as Karailabagh, Bamrauli, Naini, and Kalyani Devi, more than 70 meters showed signs of tampering, while nearly a dozen were found with suspicious devices attached.
Authorities will now conduct a detailed comparison between billing records from old meters and newly installed smart meters to identify significant discrepancies and investigate possible irregularities.
Power department officials said the exercise is aimed at ensuring transparency, improving billing accuracy, and detecting instances of electricity theft or meter manipulation.
