Bhubaneswar: Three days after the tragic explosion in the blast furnace (II) of Bhushan Steel plant that claimed one life, Labour Minister Bijayshree Routray on Friday asked the Directorate of Factories and Boilers to prepare a comprehensive report on the condition of blast furnace (I) of the company. Besides, the minister also directed the Labour Commission to investigate the number of labourers working in the unit on the fateful day.
On Thursday, the state Directorate of Factories and Broilers had sealed the ill-fated blast furnace of the plant in the presence of company and State Pollution Control Board officials.
Though, officially it was declared that one worker was killed in the mishap and 19 others injured, doubts persist over the exact number of casualties as more workers were present at the explosion site, according to the fellow labourers.
Following the incident, three top officials of Bhushan Steel Limited (BSL), including its chief operating officer (COO) were arrested on charges of negligence in ensuring safety during the blast furnace commissioning.
Notably, the officials of Factories and Boilers who visited the accident site a day after the mishap said, the company had not informed about commissioning of the blast furnace as required under the law.
In a related development, Dhenkanal district administration has formed a team comprising magistrate, police, officials of Pollution Control Board and Employee's State Insurance Corporation to examine the security measures taken by companies in the district including Bhushan Steel. The team will submit a report to government within two months after reviewing environmental norms and labour commission’s guidelines.