While holding the State Government responsible for the Bhushan steel mill explosion on Wednesday that killed a person and left many injured, Utkal Bharat president MA Kharabela Swain on Wednesday demanded stern action against the company authorities and the Government officials because of whose laxity safety norms were breached in the plant with impunity.
“So far, as many as 55 labourers have been killed at the Bhushan plant since 2010. Despite successive accidents at the plant, the State Government has not taken any proactive measures to check the safety measures,” said Swain in a Press release here. Stating that not a single Government agency like the labour Department, Factories and Boilers and the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) cared to ensure that the killer plant adheres to adequate safety measures, Swain demanded exemplary action against Bhushan at part with punishment taken against those responsible for the Bhopal gas tragedy.
Questioning the role of SPCB regional officer, Swain expressed surprise as to how the SPCB regional officer could not know about the commissioning of the second blast furnace in the company, the process of which had started about three months ago. Swain further demanded adequate compensation to the affected people due to the blast, besides an inquiry into the matter by a high level committee.