Chhattisgarh silo crash: Bodies of three workers recovered; toll rises to 4
Mungeli, Jan 11: The bodies of three workers were recovered on Saturday from the debris of a collapsed iron silo at a smelting plant in Chhattisgarh's Mungeli district after a 42-hour operation, taking the death toll to four, officials said.
On Thursday, a labourer was killed and another injured after the fly ash storage structure weighing over 350 tonnes crashed at Kusum Smelters Private Limited, located near Rambod village in Sargaon police station area of Mungeli district.
Rescue teams of multiple agencies, involving over 400 personnel, launched an operation after receiving information that some workers were trapped under the rubble, officials said.
"The search and rescue operation involving machines, cranes and gas cutters began on Thursday afternoon," Mungeli Superintendent of Police Bhojram Patel told PTI.
He said moving the massive structure containing fly ash was an arduous task.
"During the 42-hour-long rescue operation, the iron structure was shifted and fly ash removed, leading to the recovery of three bodies on Saturday morning," Patel said.
The three deceased workers were identified as Jayant Sahu (35), a resident of Bilaspur district, Prakash Yadav (20) of Balodabazar district, and Awdhesh Kashyap (32) of Janjgir-Champa district, he said.
The labourer who was killed on Thursday was identified as Manoj Kumar Dhritlahre (35).
The rescue teams involved personnel belonging to the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), police, district administration, industrial safety, health and other agencies.
An FIR was lodged on Friday against the plant incharge Amit Kedia, manager Anil Prasad, and the plant management on charges of causing death by negligence, Patel said.
They were booked under sections 106 (A) (causing death by negligence), 289 (negligent conduct with respect to machinery) and 3(5) (common intention) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), he said.
The investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident was underway, the police officer said.
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KSDL invites innovative technology to check sandalwood theft
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka government has invited farmers, scientists and organisations to come up with innovative technologies to prevent sandalwood theft in the state.
The state-owned Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited (KSDL), which manufactures Mysuru Sandal Soap has also planned sandalwood cultivation, state Large and Medium Industries Minister M B Patil said on Thursday.
"In a bid to promote sandalwood cultivation, the KSDL has planned a major initiative. As part of it, farmers, scientists, and organisations possessing information on advanced equipment or innovative technologies to prevent sandalwood theft have been invited to approach KSDL and share the details," Patil said in a statement.
Those interested in this initiative will be given an opportunity to demonstrate such technologies before the organisation, the minister said, adding if the proposed solutions are found suitable and effective, steps will be taken for consideration and implementation.
Patil stated that the cost involved in deploying technologies aimed at preventing sandalwood theft would be borne by KSDL.
Further, with a view to encouraging sandalwood cultivation, four farmers who have supplied the highest quantity of sandalwood to KSDL will be honoured with awards on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar on June 4, he said.
On the same occasion, police personnel and forest officials who have made notable progress in apprehending sandalwood thieves and registering cases, along with members of the public who have provided credible information leading to such action, will also be recognised and rewarded, the minister added.
Patil observed that farmers cultivating sandalwood trees on their lands have been facing increasing threats due to theft in recent years. Illegal felling and theft of sandalwood trees have continued for decades.
Although stringent laws are in place to curb such activities, the number of cases resulting in convictions remains very low, he noted.
"In this context, it becomes the responsibility of the organisation to extend both legal and technical support to farmers and encourage them to take up sandalwood cultivation on a larger scale," he said.
According to him, over the past three years, KSDL has procured 174.5 metric tonne of sandalwood directly from farmers across the state and transferred Rs 6.08 crore to their respective accounts.
