Union Steel Minister H. D. Kumaraswamy and Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu visited the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant accident site last night. Mr Kumaraswamy expressed condolences to the families of the deceased workers.
He announced an ex gratia of 25 lakh rupees for the next of kin of the deceased and 10 lakh rupees for those injured. In addition, affected families will be allowed to continue residing in steel plant quarters, their children will receive free education and one member of each family will be provided permanent employment. Mr. Kumaraswamy said
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also announced financial assistance of 2 lakh rupees to the families of the deceased and 50,000 rupees to the injured through the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund.
He stated that the Centre remains committed to the revival and development of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant and assured employees that all necessary steps would be taken to support affected families.
To determine the cause of the accident, the Union Steel Ministry has constituted a special committee comprising experts from other steel plants. The committee will inspect the site and submit a detailed report on the incident and measures required to strengthen safety standards.
Eight people were killed in the fire accident at the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant of Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited last evening. Six people were injured, with the condition of two being critical.
The Union Ministry of Steel said the accident occurred during casting operations when a sudden and severe explosion took place before the slide gate was opened to pour molten steel into the tundish. Following the explosion, a massive ball of fire rose to the ceiling.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu reviewed the situation with the state Chief Secretary, Visakhapatnam District Collector and other officials.
President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have expressed grief over the loss of lives in the fire incident and prayed for the speedy recovery of those injured.