Boy, younger sister felicitated for saving lives in Palghar

Palghar, Sep 12 (PTI) Quick thinking and a science lesson on conduction helped two schoolchildren save lives after a high-tension wire fell on the gate of a neighbouring residential building in Maharashtra’s Palghar district, an official has said.

The show of bravery by Smit Bhandare (12) and his 9-year-old sister Sanskruti earned the siblings high praise. They were also felicitated by District Collector Govind Bodke and a police official on Wednesday.

Smit was busy doing homework and Sanskruti was playing outside their home in Palghar town, over 100 km from Mumbai, when they heard a loud thud around lunchtime on August 25.

Smit rushed to the balcony of their second-floor home at Rushab Apartments only to discover that a high-voltage cable had snapped and crashed onto the gate of their neighbouring Vasant Vihar building, said a district official narrating the incident.

Smit later told officials that it was raining heavily and he feared the live wire could result in fatalities as he had learnt about good conductors and bad conductors in his science classes.

The boy started screaming from his balcony, warning people against venturing close to the gate. His quick thinking and timely alert prevented 10-year-old Mohammad Ansari, their neighbour, from touching the electrified gate, the official said.

While Smit’s father reported the hazard to the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL), Smit and Sanskruti kept warning people asking them to stay away from the gate, the official said.

Their efforts also saved a delivery agent, who had arrived at the Vasant Vihar building, from getting electrocuted. After learning about the incident, the staff from the electricity distribution company disconnected the supply, the official said.

Besides being applauded by neighbours and other locals, the siblings were also honoured by the collector and a senior police official at a function on Wednesday, he added.