The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issued a notice to the Collector and the SP of Dhenkanal on the explosion in the Bhushan plant, where the exact number of persons killed and injured is still shrouded in mystery.
Officially, however, one person is cited to be killed and over 30 injured in the second blast furnace explosion and fire in the steel mill on November 13. The deceased has been identified as Damodar Hasda of Badampahad in Mayurbhanj district. There has been a lot of uproar over negligence in security measures by the company and violation of safety and other norms as reasons behind the accident.
Both BSl and its subsidiary Bhushan Energy limited (BEl) have been constantly defying Government orders on safety norms. Petitioner Radhakanta Tripathy had moved the NHRC over the constant safety lapses of Bhushan and failure of the Government agencies to take action against the company, which caused a series of accidents in the plant.
He alleged that as many as 95 persons were killed due to industrial mishaps in the plant ever since it was commissioned. There were 65 fatal accidents. State Directorate of Factory and Boiler has not been doing anything substantial to check the violation of safety norms under the Orissa Factories Rules, 1950, and the Factories Act, 1948.
The company has been allowed to operate despite non-compliance of the directions issued by Government authorities following spot visits, violation of environment norms, unauthorised constructions and fatal accidents leading to death of workers. Till now exact number of deaths is not confirmed since registers of contract labour agencies which had employed labourers in the factory have not been verified, Tripathy had mentioned in his complaint.
Tripathy had urged the NHRC to send a team of officials to investigate the case or ask its Special Rapporteur to visit the spot, assess the situation and submit a detailed report, besides ensuring immediate provision of appropriate medical care to the injured workers free of cost. He also requested the rights panel to issue a direction to the State to submit the details of payment proofs as have been paid to the family members of the deceased workers and to the injured ones since the establishment of the plant.