Electrocution: Plumbers' kin blames hosp for deaths

NEW DELHI: A day after a father-son duo of plumbers and a retired air force electrical engineer with Commander Hospital died allegedly due to electrocution, the family of the plumbers alleged that the hospital authorities had neglected to keep safety requirements in mind.
While Sarvesh Kumar, 59, a retired sergeant of the Indian Air Force, was an electrical engineer at Commander Hospital in Ranhola, outer Delhi, Kunwar Pal, 40, and his son Raman, 20, were plumbers.Pal is survived by his wife Rajkumari, his daughter and another son, Vipin, who had recently appeared for the recruitment exam to get into Delhi Police.
"My father had worked at the hospital on and off for the last couple of years," said Vipin. "He roped in my brother to work there after he quit his studies since he did not want my brother to get into the wrong company while staying idle." Vipin also alleged that establishments like hospitals or other big companies should not only provide safety gear to its workers, but also conduct safety checks before making workers venture into dangerous spots.
"They could have checked for any problems or issues before asking my father and brother to go into the water tanks," said Vipin, who is pursuing his studies from an open university.
The deceased plumber's brother, Dhanpal Kumar, said, "It was Kunwar who was running the house and was the sole breadwinner. With this death, we don't know who will take care of the house and his children. I wish companies thought about the lives of the people they hire to carry out their work. We want the law to act against the hospital owners and everyone who was involved in this tragedy."
Meanwhile, investigating officers said there was four feet of water in the hospital's underground water tank. "It was Pal who had entered the area first. When he did not return, his son went inside to check on him. The last person to enter the water tank was the electrical engineer," said a police officer who is part of the investigating team.