Chhattisgarh: Death Toll at Vedanta Power Plant Reaches 17; kin of workers create ruckus
The death toll at the Vedanta Power Plant in the Sakti district of Chhattisgarh has risen to 17.
Meanwhile, the state government has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident. Separately, the Congress party has also constituted an inquiry team.
It is noteworthy that on Tuesday afternoon, a boiler explosion at the Vedanta Power Plant in the Sakti district left approximately three dozen workers severely burnt. Of these, nine workers died on Tuesday, while seven others succumbed to their injuries during treatment.
So far, only four of the deceased have been identified; they are named as Thandaram, Pappu Kumar, Amrit Patel, and Brijesh Kumar. The plant management states that identifying the deceased is proving difficult due to the severity of the burns on their bodies.
A total of 36 people were injured in this accident, 12 of whom are residents of Chhattisgarh. The remaining workers hail from Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal.
Following the accident, relatives of the workers created a ruckus outside the plant. They demanded action against the management as well as compensation. Several workers remain missing. The relatives allege that the management is withholding information. In protest against this, family members of the victims have been staging a sit-in demonstration outside the power plant since last night.
Meanwhile, Collector Amrit Vikas Topno has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident.
Several persons remain missing
Locals allege that several individuals working at the power plant remain missing. They claim that the management is providing no information regarding their whereabouts, nor are they listed as admitted to any hospital.
Vedanta management announces compensation
Meanwhile, the Vedanta management has announced compensation of Rs 35 lakh each, along with a job, for the families of the deceased. The injured will receive Rs15 lakh each.
Additionally, the Prime Minister's Relief Fund will provide Rs 2 lakh to the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured. The state government has also announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 5 lakh to the families of the deceased.