The death of sanitation worker Varalakshmi in Chennai’s Kannagi Nagar due to electrocution has highlighted a broader pattern of dangerous deficiencies and negligence in Chennai's civilian infrastructure, in areas where the marginalised live.
Varalakshmi, a 30-year-old sanitation worker in Zone 13 (Adyar) of the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) died by electrocution on August 23 after she stepped on an exposed power cable on a flooded street.
On Saturday, like most sanitation workers, Varalakshmi, mother of two, woke up at 4 am, had tea with her mother-in-law and husband, and set out walking to catch the bus from Kannagi Nagar to Adyar. It was raining heavily. About 50 meters from her home, 45 minutes later as she waded through the street flooded by rains from the day before, she got electrocuted and collapsed.
The incident was witnessed by residents in the area but they watched helplessly from the first floor of housing board buildings on either side. Some of them tried to ring up the local office of the Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (TNPDCL) but Varalakshmi could not be saved.
After the death, the exposed part of the power cable, which was supposed to be underground, was covered with cement. The police registered a case against Surendar, an Assistant Engineer with the Electricity Department under Section 106 of the BNS Act (causing death by negligence) though no arrests were made.
Health Minister Ma Subramanian visited the family and handed over Rs 20 lakh as compensation. This included Rs 10 lakh on behalf of the TNPDCL and Rs 3 lakh as a compensation from Urbaser Sumeet, the private contractor in charge of sanitation work in the Adyar zone.
“I got married to her in 2012. In 2010, I was diagnosed with a chronic skin condition that affected my ability to work. Varalakshmi took care of the entire family," says Ravi, her 34-year-old husband. Ravi is wary of the future of his kids and finding money for his treatment. “My only wish is that no one else should lose their lives in this manner,” he says.
Varalakshmi’s mother-in-law was among the first people to rush to the spot. She says the power company officials did not respond despite continuous calls. “ When I went to the spot they told me not to touch her. We kept calling the officials but nobody picked up,” she says.
Manikandan, a social activist, told TNM they had filed multiple complaints regarding electrocution hazards but did not receive a resolution. The power cable got damaged three months ago and when they approached TNPDCL officials, the residents were told that they had to buy the wire themselves.
“After complaints they finally laid the wire. When we told them to put it underground they said they were not responsible for digging. We complained to the zonal officer who said it would be done but it has been three months,” alleged Manikandan.
The power cable got exposed because of vehicle movement, he said. “We gave many letters asking to have it fixed but it didn't yield any results. Four days before the incident, on August 19, three days before Varalashmi’s death, I filed an online complaint. They don't keep records of oral complaints. The AE doesn't respond.” Manikandan alleged.
Manikandan says if the same issue had happened in Adayar or Besant Nagar it would have been fixed in a day. “They are aware and capable of using grievance mechanisms provided by the government and filing online complaints. The people here are always rushing for the sake of their livelihoods and are unable to do this,” he said.
The issue of oral complaints not being addressed extends to other departments such as the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewage department as well, alleges Manikandan.
The councillor for ward 96, Aswini Karuna, affiliated to AIADMK, refused comments when TNM reached out.
In the wake of Varalakshmi’s death the TNPDCL put out a press release stating that 618 exposed cables and joints in Chennai and its suburbs have been covered and connections repaired. “The repair work is going on in full swing at the remaining 633 places and those flagged by the public. To avoid electrical accidents due to waterlogging in low-lying areas during the rainy season, 1148 electrical distribution boxes (pillar Boxes) and 127 electrical transformers have been safely raised to an appropriate height,” the press release stated.
But on the ground, residents paint a grim picture.
“When it starts raining, the water level rises to this level,” says Arumaiselvi, a resident of Kannagi Nagar, indicating with hand a few feet above the ground where the fuse boxes sit. “The fuse boxes also get wet. When that happens we put wooden planks over the water and walk around scared of getting electrocuted. Electric connection is erratic too. We are afraid that kids playing around will touch one of the boxes and get electrocuted,” she says.
Fuse boxes for the three storey buildings are fixed on the ground floor walls near the exits. Most are broken, rusted and in extremely bad shape. The streets get waterlogged easily during rains and when the water level rises, the boxes are submerged. They are also mostly open with exposed wiring.
The fuse boxes randomly make bursting sounds when it rains. "We hear loud noises from them often. We have kids and get scared,” says Christina, another resident. “A kid recently got an electric shock when he touched a fuse box. My husband went to save him and also got electrocuted,” she said. While her husband did not sustain injuries, Christina says the residents are living in constant fear.
“Just send us back to the places we were before you shifted us here. It does not matter who is in government, nothing changes here. They come only if something happens. The houses are in shambles, the wires are protruding and the slightest rain causes water logging on the street.the same issue exists on my street and all the other streets. We live precarious lives in constant fear,” says Lakshmi, another resident.
Lakshmi was resettled from Ayanavaram where she lived in a slum that had been cleared by the government. They came to Kannagi Nagar in 2009.
Being uprooted from their homes to the outskirts of the city has stripped them of social support too. The address of Kannagi Nagar comes with a stigma that makes it hard for the people to get jobs. It is often referred to as the home of crime in Chennai and the working class residents of this settlement have to fight for dignity and jobs.
These workers often spend a significant portion of their earnings and time on commuting alone. "They were relocated from city slums to housing board buildings on the outskirts. Where they once slept eight hours in their ramshackle homes, the vast distance they must now travel forces them to wake before dawn. They manage barely four hours of sleep at home. The rest of their lives are consumed by serving the city. Their circumstances haven't improved; they've only grown harder," says Isaiarasu Ambedkar, an activist
Isaiarasu feels that the death of Varalakshmi received widespread attention only because it came in the wake of a protest that affected the GCC. “The sanitation workers made history by protesting in front of the GCC,” he says.
Isaiarasu says one cannot talk about Kannagi Nagar without talking about the caste and class of the residents. “The overwhelming majority of the people who live here are dalits whose land and material basis has been stripped away,” he says.
In July, 17-year-old Noufal met with a similar death when rainwater logged in the street in front of his house came into contact with a broken live wire. Across Chennai, five people have died by electrocution in the past two months as per a report by the New Indian Express.
The residents of Peer Pailwan street Thiruvottriyur, North Chennai where Noufal lived, said that the TNEB had not responded to calls on time. Exposed electrical lines and malfunctioning electrical infrastructure are common in the area, residents said.