Difficult to supply commercial cylinders to hotels for about a week or 10 days: K'taka Minister
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Food and Civil Supplies Minister K H Muniyappa told the Legislative Council on Friday that supplying commercial cylinders to hotels or restaurants will be difficult for about a week or ten days because there is no stock.
Amid supply constraints caused by the West Asia conflict, he, however, said there are indications that the situation will improve in coming days.
"Today, I again held a meeting with oil companies, along with our department's secretary and commissioner. The commercial gas will be supplied for essential places like hospitals, hostels, residential schools. For now, there is a supply issue. By and large, the situation will improve and supplies will smoothen after one week," Muniyappa said.
He said commercial gas cylinder supplies will be ensured for essential services like hospitals and student hostels.
"It will be difficult to supply commercial cylinders to hotels for about a week or ten days as there is no stock. If there is stock, 20-25 per cent can be supplied. Companies have assured that whatever is there in stock will be supplied to essential services, and they are supplying," he said, adding that he has also asked the companies to ensure supplies to autos that run on LPG gas.
The minister was responding to questions raised by Congress MLCs Nagaraju Yadav and Ivan D'Souza during zero hour.
Asking hotels to be patient for a few days, the minister said, "I have suggested hotels use alternatives like electric stoves, among others, and prepare food only in the quantity required for a week or ten days. There are indications that the situation will improve in a week to ten days."
"Two vessels have come (from the Middle East). Ten to twelve more vessels are likely to come from that region. I'm not giving assurance, as they are yet to start from there. With two vessels on the way, there will be some improvement in the situation. Once others start from there, necessary arrangements can be made here for supplies," he said.
Instructions have been given to the deputy commissioners in the districts to take necessary action as per the Essential Commodities Act against those indulging in illegalities concerning gas supplies, such as black marketing, Muniyappa said.
There are complaints about gas cylinders being sold at double the rate, and the police commissioner and DGP have been asked to keep watch on this, and to ensure that there is no black marketing, he added.
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Chhattisgarh Vedanta power plant blast: Death toll rises to 20; sixteen workers undergoing treatment
Sakti (Chhattisgarh) (PTI): The death toll in a blast at the Vedanta power plant in Chhattisgarh's Sakti district has mounted to 20 with seven more workers succumbing to injuries, while 16 others are undergoing treatment at different hospitals, officials said on Wednesday.
The deceased include six labourers from West Bengal, five from Chhattisgarh, three each from Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh, two from Bihar, and one from Madhya Pradesh.
The opposition Congress has demanded registration of an FIR against the plant management and a judicial inquiry into the incident.
The explosion occurred on Tuesday afternoon in a steel tube carrying high-pressure steam from the boiler to the turbine at the Vedanta Ltd power plant located in Singhitarai village, leaving several workers with severe burn injuries.
According to officials, four workers died on the spot, while nine others succumbed to injuries soon after the incident.
Seven more workers have died in hospitals, raising the toll to 20, Sakti Collector Amrit Vikas Topno told PTI on Wednesday.
He said that a total of 36 workers were affected in the blast, and 20 of them died.
"Of the 16 injured workers, five are undergoing treatment in hospitals in Raipur, while 11 others are in hospitals of Raigarh, the neighbouring district of Sakti," he added.
Topno added that every possible effort was being made to provide the best medical treatment to the injured.
The deceased were identified, and their family members are being contacted. Arrangements have been made to transport the mortal remains to their native villages via ambulance following the postmortem examination and to provide immediate financial assistance, he said.
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai has announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the families of each deceased worker and Rs 50,000 for those injured.
Vedanta Power has also announced a Rs 35 lakh compensation for the family of each deceased worker, along with employment support.
The company will also provide Rs 15 lakh to each injured person, ensure salary continuation until recovery, and offer counselling support, a statement from the plant management said.
The chief minister has ordered an inquiry by the Commissioner of the Bilaspur division, assuring strict action against the guilty.
He directed officials to ensure free and proper medical treatment for all injured and emphasised that no negligence in their care would be tolerated.
The district administration has also ordered a separate magisterial probe, while the company has initiated its own internal investigation.
Collector Topno has appointed the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Dabhra to conduct the magisterial inquiry.
The SDM has been asked to submit a report within 30 days covering key aspects, including the cause of the accident, whether it was due to technical or human error, and details of safety inspections carried out at the plant.
Meanwhile, the opposition Congress has demanded registration of an FIR against the plant management and a judicial inquiry into the incident.
State Congress communication wing head Sushil Anand Shukla on Wednesday alleged negligence on the plant management's part and accused the government of attempting to shield those responsible.
He also demanded compensation of Rs 1 crore for the families of the deceased and Rs 50 lakh for the injured.
The construction of a 1,200 MW coal-based thermal power project (two units of 600 MW each) in Singhitarai, originally owned by Athena Chhattisgarh Power Ltd, started in 2009, but remained stalled between 2016 and 2022.
Vedanta acquired the plant in 2022, after which a 600 MW unit was completed and commissioned in August last year, while the second unit is still under construction.
The deceased have been identified as Amrit Lal Patel, Thanda Ram Lahre, Udhab Singh Yadav, Rameshwar Mahilange, and Nadeem Ansari (all from Chhattisgarh); Susanta Jana, Sheikh Saifuddin, Manas Giri, Kailash Mahto, Shibnath Murmu, and Dipankar Singh (West Bengal), Tarun Kumar Ojha, Abdul Karim and Ashok Parhiya (Jharkhand), Raju Ram, Pappu Kumar and Brijesh Kumar (Uttar Pradesh), Aakib Khan and Ritesh Kumar (Bihar), and Chitranjan Dhulai of Madhya Pradesh, officials said.
