At least 18 workers were killed and nearly 100 injured when a boiler exploded at the new 550 megawatt unit of National Thermal Power Corporation's (NTPC) Feroz Gandhi Thermal power plant around 4 pm at Unchahar in Rae Bareli on Wednesday. The death toll is expected to rise. Relief and rescue operations were underway and the injured were rushed to nearby hospitals.
The new thermal unit was set up by Bharat Heavy Electricals limited (BHEl) and was unit was commissioned in April this year. The plant has five other generating units of 210 MW each and the total installed capacity is 1,550 MW. The area is under the lok Sabha constituency of Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
Chief Medical Officer of Rae Bareli Dr KK Singh said that so far eight bodies were brought to district hospital and several injured workers were admitted to the hospital. The critical patients were sent to lucknow for advanced treatment.
Dr Singh said all ambulances and fire tenders available in Rae Bareli and neighbouring districts were rushed to the Unchahar plant. The power plant management has banned the entry of outsiders in plant premises except those involved in relief and rescue operation.
The explosion triggered panic among workers who ran helter-skelter. The Rae Bareli district administration rushed ambulances to the NTPC plant and directed Health department officials to provide prompt treatment to the injured.
Official sources in lucknow said that the state government has taken cognizance of the incident.
Principal Secretary (Information) Avneesh Awasthi, who is accompanying the Chief Minister on a three-day Mauritius visit, said "The CM has taken cognizance of the Unchahar accident and directed Principal Secretary (Home) to ensure that all steps were taken for rescue and relief.”
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh for the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for workers suffering serious injuries and Rs 25,000 for other injured workers. The CM also expressed his condolences on the death of NTPC workers in the accident.
Additional DG (law and order) Anand Kumar later maintained that only four workers died in the accident.
Principal dsecretary (Home) Arvind Kumar said that a 32- member team of National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) was rushed to the site of accident which is 100 km from state capital lucknow.
Police sources said that the blast at the new unit of Unchahar thermal plant was so intense that bodies were scattered in the area around the site of the blast. The 550 MW units were on trial run when the accident occurred.
Feroze Gandhi Unchahar Thermal Power Plant is one of the coal-based power plants of National Thermal Power Corporation - a Maharatna listed Central PSU. This plant was originally set up by the then UP State Electricity Board (UPSEB) and commissioned in 1986. The Board was later disbanded in 2000 and split into three companies in public sector.
During BJP regime of Kalyan Singh in 1992, the ownership and management of Unchahar thermal power plant was transferred to NTPC limited against the overdue on account of power purchased by UPSEB from NTPC. The Unchahar plant was later named as Feroze Gandhi Unchhar Thermal Power Plant by the Central PSU.