The GESCOM, which is headquartered in Kalaburagi, has spent ₹228.76 crore to prevent such accidents between 2015 and November 2025.
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Despite years of safety measures and high spending, electrical accidents remain a persistent threat in Gulbarga Electricity Supply Company Limited (GESCOM) jurisdiction, resulting in 1,166 deaths and 867 non-fatal injuries over the past decade (from 2015 to 2025), according to official data.
As per data available with The Hindu, 1,166 deaths, 867 non-fatal injuries and 2,588 livestock deaths have been recorded over the past decade, underlining the continuing safety risks posed by electrical infrastructure in both urban and rural areas.
Despite spending ₹228.76 crore as capital expenditure to prevent such accidents between 2015 and November 2025, the number of fatal and non-fatal incidents has not shown any significant decline over the years.
The highest number of human fatalities was reported in 2020-21 with 130 deaths, followed by 114 deaths in 2019-20 and 100 deaths in 2021-22.
Non-fatal cases have remained consistently high, indicating that a large number of people continue to be exposed to electrical hazards.
Livestock deaths too remain a major concern, with 277 animals killed in 2023-24 and 275 in 2020-21, reflecting the vulnerability of rural power distribution systems.
Interestingly, GESCOM recorded its highest expenditure, ₹20.69 crore, on accident prevention in 2015-16, but the subsequent years have continued to witness high numbers of accidents.
The data suggests that increased spending has not translated into proportionate improvements in safety outcomes.
Social activist Deepak Gala, who is also president of the Hyderabad Karnataka Environment Awareness and Protection Organisation, has pointed out that factors such as decrepit infrastructure, inadequate maintenance, exposed lines and lack of regular safety audits as possible reasons for the continuous occurrence of such accidents.
Published – February 04, 2026 08:56 pm IST
