Rourkela: Bodies of three missing workers were recovered from the cement plant premise at Rajgangpur in Odisha’s Sundargarh district on Saturday after 36-hour rescue operation.
The deceased have been identified as Susanta Rout (58), Ranjit Bhol (24), and Dashrath Patra (42), working under a contractor at the power plant.
They were feared trapped under the debris after a coal hopper (an iron structure), used for storing large quantities of coal before it is moved to a boiler, gave away at around 5.30 pm on January 16 at production Line 2 of the plant. The operator room located beneath the coal bunker was also completely damaged.
The coal hopper was operated by a third-party vendor.
Sources said that the bodies have been sent to Rourkela Government Hospital for postmortem. “All three bodies have been sent for post-mortem. The family members of each deceased have lodged FIRs at Rajgangpur police station,” said Sub Collector, Sundargarh, Dasarathi Saraboo.
He further stated that the company has declared a compensation of Rs 25 lakh for the family of Dasarath Patra, whose body was recovered first, along with Rs 10 lakh against insurance, a quarter, a job for his wife and free education for his two sons aged 10 and 3 until Class XII.
Regarding the other two deceased, the company is yet to make an announcement, he added.
Bhol, is survived by his wife and an 18-month-old daughter and Rout by his wife and two twin sons aged 20. Both sons of Rout are working at Dalmia Cement, Rajgangpur, sources said.
As many as 64 workers were rescued safety initially and efforts continued to trace the missing three all through Thursday night and Friday.
Six firefighter and Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) teams are engaged in the rescue operation and cranes and other heavy machinery are being used to clear the debris. Police had also deployed four platoons of forces to prevent any untoward incidents amid unrest among family members, seeking updates on their loved ones.
They continued to stage protest at the plant’s gate, shut ever since the accident, this morning, demanding fulfilment of their demand.
Company officials had earlier they have started an internal investigation into the mishap and review safety protocols o prevent future occurrences.
