Six dead, five injured in blast at steel plant in Chhattisgarh's Balodabazar
Balodabazar (PTI): Six workers were killed and five sustained burn injuries when hot ash fell on them following an explosion at a steel plant in Chhattisgarh's Balodabazar-Bhatapara district on Thursday morning, officials said.
The incident occurred around 9.40 am at Real Ispat and Power Ltd located in Bakulahi village, district collector Deepak Soni told PTI.
Thick black smoke was seen billowing from the factory from a long distance after the incident. Eyewitnesses said the bodies of the victims -- most of them from Bihar and Jharkhand -- were charred.
According to preliminary information, a dust settling chamber (DSC) connected to a kiln, where high-temperature ash was transported, leaked following the explosion. Due to the leakage, hot ash fell on workers. Because of its extremely high temperature, six workers died on the spot while five others suffered injuries, collector Soni said.
The injured workers were admitted to Chhattisgarh Institute of Medical Sciences (CIMS), Bilaspur, for advanced treatment. A district administration team was present at the site and the area was sealed as a precautionary measure, the official said.
A probe team headed by the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), comprising officials from the industry, industrial health and safety, police and revenue departments, has been set up to probe the incident.
Members of the plant management were being questioned while labour department officials had reached the village to ensure that the victims' families get compensation as per the norms, the collector said.
District Superintendent of Police Bhavna Gupta said rescue operations were still underway.
"More than 50 workers were present during the morning shift. One-to-one verification of all workers is being carried out. Some workers left the factory premises after the incident and efforts are on to contact them," she said.
Rescue teams, comprising personnel of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), police and the industrial safety department were removing fly ash debris while a forensic team was conducting an investigation, and strict action will be taken against those found responsible, Gupta added.
The victim workers were from Bihar and Jharkhand and their families were being contacted, the SP said.
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai described the incident as extremely tragic.
"The horrific explosion at the sponge iron factory in Bakulahi, Baloda Bazar, is extremely tragic and heartbreaking....My deepest condolences to the families of the deceased. Every possible assistance will be provided to them during this time of grief. The district administration has been given clear instructions to ensure proper treatment for the injured and to conduct a thorough investigation into the causes of the accident," he said.
Health Minister Shyam Bihari Jaiswal said he had spoken to the collector and instructed him to provide the best possible medical care to the injured. He also ordered a thorough investigation, the minister said.
Expressing deep grief over the loss of lives and praying for strength to the bereaved families, he said the state government stands firmly with the affected families.
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Governor’s speech: BJP has no moral right to criticize us, says Congress MLC BK Hariprasad
Bengaluru: The verbal tussle between the Bharatiya Janata Party Karnataka unit and the Congress over Governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot limiting his address before the Legislature on Thursday to just two sentences has continued, with senior Congress MLC BK Hariprasad sharing on his Facebook page earlier instances of what he called misbehavior by the BJP in the House.
Hariprasad on Thursday opined on the social media page that the BJP Karnataka had no moral right to comment on discipline, dignity and honour of the Legislature and cited episodes related to the objectionable behavior by the Opposition party members.
“Which party was it, whose members tore clothes in the House and joined hands and behaved like gangsters? Which party did the people who watched blue films in the House instead of discussing the serious problems in the state, thereby shaming the state before the nation, belong to? To which party did the people who tore documents and threw them on the face of the Speaker only to be suspended belong to?” he asked in his post.
“Does the BJP have the courage to say with pride that these people, with such discipline, culture, dignity and honour, are its members?” Hariprasad has added.
He further said that the state was going through a dark phase in its political history as the BJP had been misusing the Constitutional powers of the Governor.
“The Governor enjoys his power from the tax-payers’ money and not from the free money that goes to an unregistered organization in Nagpur. We will continue to defend our rights, be it against the Governor or any other person in a Constitutional post, who acts against the Constitution,” he said, and added, “We are not so deprived of morality that we have to learn it from the BJP. Congress will never face such a day.”
