Men hoisted on cable come crashing down

Two farmers, winched up by workers hired to lay power cables, fell and sustained serious injuries on Sunday.

The incident occurred in Melavayi village in Anantapur district, close to the Karnataka border.

Subhan Saab (50) and his son Nabi Rasool, said to be in his 30s, had agreed to sell part of their land to the Karnataka State Electricity Board to erect poles for high-tension cables.

On Sunday, workers sent by the contractor started work. Saab and Rasool objected, saying they had not been paid the full compensation.

They tried to stop the work by hanging on to a cable. The workers did not heed them, and continued hoisting it.The land owners wouldn’t let go, and the workers kept hoisting the cable higher and higher.

Saab couldn’t hold on any further when he had reached a height of 15 feet. He fell first, and was injured. 

Rasool crashed to the ground after reaching 20 feet. The fall broke his spine.
“The electricity board had promised us Rs 5 lakh, but paid us only Rs 90,000. So, we said we wouldn’t allow them to work till the full amount was paid,” Saab told reporters.

District collector Kona Sasidhar said he had ordered suspension of the cabling work and promised compensation and free treatment for the injured farmers.