Negligence: Boy dies from electric shock

FAISALABAD: A boy died from an electric shock on Tuesday after he accidently touched an electricity pole. His family staged a protest demonstration against the Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (Fesco). Raza Abad police said seven-year-old Farhan Ali, a resident of Saleemi Chowk in Chhoti Unasi, was playing in a street in front of his house when he accidentally touched a short-circuiting electric pole. As a result, Ali received a fatal electric shock and died on the spot. Akbar Ali, one of the boy’s relatives, told media persons that the electric pole had been short-circuiting for several days. “We had complained about it to Fesco’s subdivision staff but no one from the office took notice,” another protester said. FESCO spokesman Sheikh Tahir told The Express Tribune that Khurram Mukhtar, chairman of Fesco’s board of directors, had taken serious notice of the incident and had issued directives to probe the matter. “If any Fesco employee is found negligent in this connection, the board of directors will ensure strict action against him,” the FESCO spokesman said.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 26^th, 2014.