Father of teen shocked near Nerul flyover to file FIR against NMMC contractor

On Wednesday, two teenage girls suffered severe electric shocks from an exposed underground live electrical wire while wading through a waterlogged street near the Nerul flyover in Navi Mumbai. Following the incident, the father of one of the victims announced his intention to file a First Information Report (FIR) against the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) contractor for negligence.

The victims were identified as 16-year-old college student Shubhangi Balkhande and her 18-year-old college friend Ujwala Wagh. The two teenagers were walking through the waterlogged stretch when they encountered the live wire. Shubhangi was subsequently admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Fortis Hospital in Vashi.

Subhash Balkhande, Shubhangi's 42-year-old father, reported that his daughter is now stable and is expected to be shifted to the hospital's general ward within the next two to three days. He stated that he will pursue legal action and lodge a formal complaint at the Nerul police station once she is moved.

Balkhande, who earns his livelihood driving a taxi, explained that he could not file the police complaint immediately after the accident because he was busy caring for his daughter in the ICU. He also noted that he has to step out daily for work to maintain his income.

While NMMC Commissioner Kailas Shinde has suspended the executive engineer for the electrical department, Pravin Gade, for dereliction of duty, Balkhande argued that the contractor is the party primarily responsible for the accident.

According to Balkhande, the contractor failed to maintain the underground electrical cable properly. This neglect led to the cable breaking and exposing the live wire, creating a highly hazardous situation that could have been fatal for the two young girls. He plans to demand a full investigation into the contractor's maintenance practices.