Kolkata, India. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has directly blamed the private utility CESC Ltd for the tragic death of seven people in Kolkata from electrocution. The victims died after touching exposed electrical wires that were submerged in floodwaters following heavy rain overnight.
In a media address, the Chief Minister demanded that CESC, which has a monopoly on power distribution in Kolkata and Howrah, take immediate responsibility for the deaths. “CESC should quickly send their people on an emergency basis to prevent similar tragedies from happening again,” she stated.
Banerjee’s criticism went beyond the immediate situation. She accused the company, owned by Sanjiv Goenka, of focusing on infrastructure projects in other states like Rajasthan while ignoring West Bengal, where it makes significant profits. She claimed that despite her repeated reminders, CESC has not concentrated on updating its local infrastructure. The Chief Minister also called on CESC to provide jobs to at least one member of each of the seven victims’ families as a matter of “moral responsibility.”
As of this report, there has been no official response from CESC management regarding the Chief Minister’s statements.
Given the severe weather and ongoing forecasts of heavy rainfall, the Chief Minister urged citizens to stay indoors. She asked private companies not to penalize employees who cannot make it to work and urged them to view the situation from a compassionate perspective.
The state’s school education department has also responded to the weather conditions. A notification was released announcing the advancement of festival holidays by two days. As a result, all state-run, government-aided, and sponsored schools (excluding those in hill areas) will be closed on September 24 and 25, 2025, to ensure the safety of students and staff.
