9 workers hospitalised in Odisha after gas leak at Rourkela Steel Plant

Four of the nine persons hospitalised after a gas leak in Rourkela Steep Plant are admitted to the intensive care unit

Published on: Jul 1, 2024, 16:55:58 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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BHUBANESWAR: Nine workers have been hospitalised after leakage of carbon monoxide gas from a blast furnace in the Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) on Monday, people familiar with the matter said.

The carbon monoxide leak started when the nine workers were at the site to conduct repairs at the steel plant’s blast furnace number-5. (Representative Image) (X/sailrsp1)

Four of the nine persons are admitted to the intensive care unit.

The carbon monoxide leak started when the nine workers were at the site to conduct repairs at the steel plant’s blast furnace number-5. They were rushed to Ispat General Hospital (IGH) and a hospital outside the plant. Five of the nine persons are contract workers.

The plant’s labour union has alleged that the authorities have not taken any concrete steps to ensure the safety of the workers despite several gas leaks in the past. In January 2021, four workers engaged in maintenance work at the plant’s coal chemical department died due to a leakage of carbon monoxide.

There was no official statement by the plant on Monday’s accident.

RSP, founded in 1955, was India’s first integrated steel plant in the public sector, and has the capacity to annually produce 4.5 million tonnes of hot metal, 4.2 million tonnes of crude steel and 3.9 million tonnes of saleable steel.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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