Chhattisgarh

Blast at Vedanta plant linked to excessive fuel, negligence: Initial probe

A preliminary technical investigation into the blast at the Vedanta power plant in Chhattisgarh's Sakti district has found that excessive fuel accumulation inside the boiler furnace led to a pressure build-up, triggering the explosion, police have said. The initial probe also points to "lapses in upkeep and negligent operation" at the power plant, they said. The explosion occurred on April 14 at the plant in Singhitarai village when a steel tube carrying high-pressure steam from the boiler to the turbine burst, leaving several workers with severe burn injuries. The incident claimed 20 lives and left 16 persons injured. "According to an initial report submitted by the Chief Boiler Inspector, the excessive fuel inside the furnace generated high pressure, causing a blast in the boiler. The pressure forced a lower pipe of the boiler out of its designated position, resulting in the severe accident," said a police statement on Thursday. A report by the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) i

13 killed, 21 injured in boiler blast at Vedanta plant in Chhattisgarh

Nine workers were killed and 15 sustained injuries after a boiler exploded at a power plant in Chhattisgarh's Sakti district on Tuesday, police said. According to preliminary information, the blast occurred in a boiler tube at the Vedanta Limited power plant in Singhitarai village in the afternoon, Sakti Superintendent of Police Prafull Thakur told PTI. "Nine workers have died, and 15 have sustained injuries," he said, adding that three victims were killed on the spot while the others succumbed to injuries at hospitals. The injured were undergoing treatment at hospitals in the neighbouring Raigarh district, he said. Local administration and police teams rushed to the spot and launched rescue operations, the official said. He said that as the area around the boiler remains extremely hot, workers and staff have been evacuated from the vicinity. Rescue operations are still underway to check if more persons are trapped, he added. Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai termed the incident ...

Woman Maoist with ₹5 lakh bounty killed in encounter in Chhattisgarh

A woman Maoist carrying a reward of Rs 5 lakh was killed in an encounter with security personnel in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district on Monday, police said. The deceased, identified as Rupi, was an area committee member of the Maoists and is believed to be the last senior Telugu cadre active in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region, which comprises seven districts, including Kanker, they said. The face-off comes 12 days after the government declared Chhattisgarh free of armed Maoists on March 31. Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range, Sundarraj P, said the government has been continuously appealing to Maoists to surrender and avail rehabilitation benefits, leading to a significant number opting to return to the mainstream in recent months. However, some cadres, including Rupi, continued on the path of violence, which ultimately led to such outcomes, he noted. The gunfight broke out in the morning at a forest near Machpalli village on the border of Chhotebethiya-Partapur police station ar

'Red' letter day: Naxals wiped out in Chhattisgarh by deadline, says Dy CM

As the Centre's deadline to eradicate Left-Wing Extremism ends on Tuesday, Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma said armed Naxals in the state have been "completely eliminated", with a handful of remaining cadres expected to surrender soon. Setting a clear deadline two years ago to end Naxalism by March 31, 2026, coupled with technology-driven intelligence and precise security force operations, proved to be a turning point in the decisive fight against the decades-old insurgency, Sharma told PTI in an interview on Monday evening. Calling it the "biggest achievement" of the past two years, he credited the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai for ensuring the writ of the Constitution extends to every corner of the state, including Bastar. The entire armed cadre in Chhattisgarh has been dismantled. The last remaining 15 to 20 individuals are in the process of rehabilitation, said Sharma, who

Two Naxalites gunned down in anti-Naxal operation in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur

Two Naxalites were killed in an encounter with security personnel in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh on Thursday, police said. The exchange of fire broke out in a forest along the Indravati river in the morning when a joint team of security forces was out on an anti-Naxalite operation, a senior police official said. After guns fell silent, bodies of two Naxalites, clad in uniform, along with a Self-Loading Rifle, an Insas rifle and a 12-bore rifle were recovered from the spot, he said. Search operation was still underway, he added. With this action, at least 25 Maoists have been killed in separate encounters in the state so far this year. Earlier, 14 Maoists were gunned down in two encounters on January 3 in the Bastar region, which comprises seven districts, including Bijapur. Last year, 285 Maoists were killed in various encounters with security forces in Chhattisgarh. The Centre has set a deadline of March 31 this year to eradicate Left-Wing Extremism from the country.

14 states borrow ₹47,620 crore, 11% higher than borrowing calendar

Fourteen states raised ₹47,620 crore at weekly SDL auctions as yields softened marginally and spreads over gilts stayed stable

Shah assures end of Naxalism by Mar 31, says 'it never benefitted society'

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said Maoism never benefitted any society and spread destruction wherever it existed and cited examples of nations like Columbia, Peru and Cambodia. Speaking at the closing ceremony of 'Bastar Pandum 2026' cultural event at Jagdalpur, the headquarter of Chhattisgarh's Bastar district, Shah reiterated that the Naxal menace will uprooted completely from the nation by March 31. He urged Naxals to surrender and join the mainstream, promising them dignified rehabilitation. "The Maoist rehabilitation policy of the Chhattisgarh government is the most attractive," he asserted. He also expressed concern over the fact that the remaining Naxals still holding out included young tribal girls. "They (young tribal girls) must be sent for rehabilitation as their whole lives lie ahead of them," Shah said. While assuring that surrendered Naxals would not face any harm, Shah also warned that those who continue to fire bullets, plant IEDs and torch schools and

Chhattisgarh factory blast: Kiln sealed at steel plant over safety lapses

The Chhattisgarh government has sealed one of the kilns at a steel plant in Balodabazar-Bhatapara district, where an explosion killed six workers, after a preliminary probe found serious violations in the safety norms, officials said on Friday. Workers, most of them from Bihar and Jharkhand, were charred to death in the blast that occurred at Real Ispat and Power Ltd, in Bakulahi village on Thursday morning. On the orders of Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, authorities ordered an immediate ban on the operation and maintenance of kiln no. 1 at the steel plant under the Factories Act after a preliminary probe revealed serious lapses, a government statement said. According to the statement, the explosion took place on the second floor of the dust-settling chamber of kiln no. 1 during maintenance work. The sudden blast, followed by a shower of hot ash - at temperatures ranging between 850 and 900 degrees Celsius - killed six workers on the spot and seriously injured five others. A joint

Bihar govt announces ex gratia for workers killed in Chhattisgarh blast

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday condoled the death of migrant labourers, hailing from the state, who lost their lives in an explosion at a steel plant in Chhattisgarh's Balodabazar and announced an ex gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased. The CM also announced Rs 50,000 to each injured labourer, hailing from the state. Six workers were killed and five sustained burn injuries when hot ash fell on them following an explosion at a steel plant in Chhattisgarh's Balodabazar-Bhatapara district on Thursday. "The CM is deeply saddened by the death of migrant workers from the state, who lost their lives following the blast at the steel plant in Chhattisgarh's Balodabazar and announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the immediate family members of the deceased'', a statement issued by the CMO said here on Friday. The CM also announced Rs 50,000 to each injured labourer, hailing from the state, it said. The statement said that the CM has also ...

At least 6 workers killed in blast at sponge iron factory in Chhattisgarh

At least six workers were killed and several others injured in a blast at a sponge iron factory in Chhattisgarh's Balodabazar- Bhatapara district on Thursday, officials said. The incident occurred at the Real Ispat Sponge Iron Factory located in Bakulahi village in the Bhatapara rural area, a police official said. After being alerted, police and senior administrative officials rushed to the spot and initiated relief and rescue operations, he said.

Chhattisgarh redraws industrial growth map with focus beyond Raipur

Since November 2024, the state has issued 219 investment commitments valued at ₹7.83 trillion

Four Naxalites killed in encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh

Security forces on Saturday gunned down four Naxalites, including senior cadre Dilip Vedja, in an encounter in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, police said. The gunfight broke out in the morning in the forested hills of the district's northwest region, where a joint team of security forces was out on an anti-Naxal operation, Bijapur Superintendent of Police Jitendra Yadav said. He said that personnel belonging to the Special Task Force and District Reserve Guard, both state police units, and CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) -- an elite unit of CRPF -- were involved in the operation, which was launched based on inputs about the presence of Vedja, a divisional committee member, in the area. During the search, the bodies of two Maoists were recovered from the encounter site by noon. Subsequently, bodies of two more Maoist cadres, including a woman, were recovered in the evening, Yadav said. Weapons, including AK-47 rifle and .303 rifle, have also been recovered from the

South Eastern Coalfields to invest ₹11.8 cr in Chhattisgarh healthcare

The Chhattisgarh-based arm of Coal India Limited (CIL) will take up the project through its corporate social responsibility (CSR) head, SECL spokesperson said

Green cave in Chhattisgarh's Bastar district soon to boost tourism

Tourism in the region largely remained unexplored as the route to reach the green cave passes through terrain once controlled by Maoists

Chhattisgarh proposes ₹1.25 trn govt investment in former Naxal areas

Sai said the government will undertake mapping of previously unmapped regions such as Abujhmad, which had remained outside regular surveys for decades

14 Maoists killed in separate encounters in Bijapur, Sukma: Bastar IG

More than 12 Naxalites were killed in separate encounters with the security forces in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region on Saturday, police said. More than 10 ultras were gunned down in Sukma, while two were eliminated in the adjoining Bijapur district in the early hours of the day, they said. An exchange of fire broke out in the forest of the southern region of Sukma district, where a team of security personnel was out on an anti-Naxalite operation, a senior police official said. "More than 10 cadres have been neutralised so far. The operation is still underway, and more details will be shared later," he said. In Bijapur, a gunfight took place in a forest in the southern region of the district when a team of the District Reserve Guard, a unit of the state police, was out on a similar operation around 5 am, another official said. The bodies of two Naxalites were recovered from the scene, he said. The intermittent exchange of fire was still underway, and further details were awaited, t

Chhattisgarh Auto Expo from Jan 20 with 50% road tax rebate to boost sales

The concession will be applicable at the time of vehicle registration following purchase at the Expo, providing a one-time 50 per cent relief in motor vehicle tax

Raipur among 48 cities to double train operating capacity over five years

The works for doubling the originating capacity by 2030 would include augmenting the current terminals with additional platforms, stabling lines, pit lines, and adequate shunting facilities

Violence erupts during coal mining protest in Chhattisgarh, 8 injured

At least eight persons, including police personnel, were injured after an ongoing protest against a coal mining project turned violent in Tamnar area of Chhattisgarh's Raigarh district on Saturday, officials said. A woman police officer also sustained injuries after she was allegedly assaulted by a group of women, police said. Tension prevailed in Tamnar area after protesters indulged in stone-pelting and set ablaze three vehicles, including a bus and a car, and vandalised a police vehicle. Hundreds of residents from 14 villages in the area have been staging a sit-in protest for the past 15 days at a square in Daurabhatha village, opposing the coal block allotted to Jindal Steel in the Gare Pelma Sector-I in the Tamnar area. The protesters are also demanding cancellation of the proposed mining project, alleging that the public hearing conducted for its clearance was against the prescribed norms. Villagers claimed the situation turned tense after police attempted to remove ...

ED files final chargesheet naming 59 more in Chhattisgarh liquor scam case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday filed a final prosecution complaint in the alleged liquor scam case in Chhattisgarh, naming 59 people, taking the total number of accused in the money laundering case to 81. The final prosecution complaint was filed before the PMLA court here, complying with the Supreme Court's directions, the ED's counsel, Saurabh Kumar Pande, told PTI. Earlier, 22 persons were named as accused in the case, and several of them were arrested. After completing the investigation related to those accused, prosecution complaints were filed against them in the past, he said. The final prosecution complaint has now been filed against 59 more persons against whom investigation has been completed, Pande said. The 59 include Soumya Chaurasia, the then deputy secretary at the Chief Minister's office, former IAS officer Niranjan Das, liquor licence holders, distributors and excise department officials, he said. The prosecution's complaint summary runs into 315 pages