Bhushan Steel plant safety under scanner: Govt

Concerned over rising frequency of industrial accidents, leading to death of workers at the site of Bhushan Steel's plant, the state labour department has decided to engage an independent agency to check the safety measures at the site.

Labour minister Bijayshree Routray has also summoned the company's vice chairman and managing director Neeraj Singhal on January 21 for discussions on the matter.

“We have decided to engage an independent agency like Mecon, M N Dastur or IIT-Kharagpur for conducting a safety audit of the Bhushan Steel plant,” Routray told newspersons here.

Blaming the company authorities for not taking adequate safety measures, the minister said, “The company's callousness has been observed in many areas. Accidents are happening at the plant sites of many industries but such incidents are the highest in case of Bhushan Steel.”

“The company authorities have to give us an assurance that such accidents will not recur in the future. If they have got any serious defect in their systems, we will ask them to rectify it immediately,” he added.

The steel plant site of Bhushan Steel at Meramundali in Dhenkanal district has witnessed a series of accidents recently, killing and injuring some contract labourers.

Taking serious note of the mishaps, steel & mines minister Rajani Kant Singh had sought a detailed report from the district collector.