Bhushan violated labour laws, says Union minister

Labour minister K Suresh says Centre might conduct its own probe into accident in case it is not happy with Odisha state's effort

Union Minister of State for labour and employment K Suresh today said that the Bhushan authorities violated labour laws by not ensuring safety of workers before commissioning of its blast furnace and hence strongest action should be taken against them for the fire accident that occurred there last week.

“So far as my knowledge is concerned, Bhushan authorities violated labour laws and factory laws. This is a serious matter. We will definitely take strong action against the culprits behind this incident as safety of workers is first priority,” he said here during a visit to the state today.

The central government is keeping a close watch on the developments following the accident and if it finds that the probe initiated by the state government is not moving in the right direction, then it will conduct its own investigation, he added.

“The state government is currently looking into the matter and we are waiting for the result. If their probe is not satisfactory, I will ask the regional labour commissioner to conduct a detail probe,” said the Union minister.

As of now, a technical team from Rourkela Steel Plant (SAIL), which visited the site, has revealed that the blast occurred as hot metal came in direct contact with water, which should not have happened had the company officials adopted enough safety measures.

The fire accident during the commissioning of blast furnace II of Bhushan Steel’s Dhenkanal plant last week had killed one worker and injured 17 others.

However, the government is suspecting more deaths and has ordered the state labour department and Dhenkanal district administration for a thorough probe to find out how many workers were present, killed and are missing after the incident.  

The Bhushan plant accident has become a political hot potato as opposition parties have cornered the state government for being apathetic to complain of safety norm violation by the company authorities in the past.

Union minister Srikant Jena has already demanded that a probe by not less than CBI should reveal the truth as state government officials and local police are working hands in glove with Bhushan authorities.

Meanwhile, search operation continued inside Bhushan plant premise to find out missing labourers. Relatives of workers have been camping outside the plant gate to get in touch with their kins along with political parties and trade union leaders. With the situation at the plant site simmering with tension, the district police yesterday slapped prohibitory orders against gathering, which will remain effective till December 17.