Raipur, Jan 15 (IANS) The Chhattisgarh government Friday termed the Sep 23 Bharat Aluminium Company Limited (Balco) power plant chimney crash, at Korba town, the biggest-ever industrial tragedy in the state’s history.
“Balco mishap is the biggest ever industrial tragedy in the state’s history but it’s incorrect to say the government had been silent to neglect the industrial workers’ interests. In fact, in 2009 itself a total of 57 inspections of Balco plant at Korba were carried out,” Labour Minister Chandrasekhar Sahu said in reply to a call attention notice of Leader of Opposition Ravindra Choubey in the state assembly.

Sahu rejected opposition charges that the government had remained silent over Balco management’s continuous violations of various labour and industrial rules that risked the lives of a large number of workers.

He informed the assembly that 39 workers were killed on the spot and one succumbed to injuries at hospital later while seven were injured. A single-member judicial commission was formed in October under the Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1952, to make a comprehensive probe, he added.

Choubey said in his notice that about 70-80 workers were killed and hundreds were injured Sep 23 at Korba, some 240 km from state capital Raipur, when an under-construction chimney of the Balco power plant collapsed. It was all because sub-standard construction materials were used and the Balco management totally neglected labour and industrial rules, he said.

Government officials say Vedanta Resources Plc-controlled Balco, in which the Indian government holds a 49 percent stake, had awarded Chinese firm Shandong Electric Power Construction Corporation (SEPCO) the task of constructing two thermal power plants of 600 MW each at Korba.

Later, SEPCO outsourced the construction of a 257-metre chimney to Gannon Dunkerley and Company Limited (GDCL). The chimney crumbled Sep 23 when it was erected to the height of 225 metres.

Police have so far arrested seven people in the case — three Chinese engineers (Jan 11) employed with SEPCO, including its project in-charge Woo Chunan, three BALCO officials (Nov 17), including its vice- president Viral Mehta, and GDCL project manager Manoj Sharma (Oct 7).