Bhubaneswar: The bodies of two of the three workers from a cement company in Odisha’s Sundargarh district, who had gone missing following the collapse of a coal hopper, were recovered from the plant site on Saturday morning, said police.
Around 64 workers trapped under debris were rescued from the boiler area of the captive power plant at DCBL (PTI photo)
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An overhead coal hopper, used to store coal for the boiler, collapsed onto a workers’ rest room at 6 pm on Thursday. Around 64 workers trapped under debris were rescued from the boiler area of the captive power plant at the production line 2 of Dalmia Bharat Cement Company (DCBL) in Rajgangpur.
Officials at the Dalmia Bharat Cement Company site said that the bodies were recovered after an extensive search. However, their identities remain unconfirmed at this time.
“The search continues for the third worker,” added the officer.
By Friday morning, 64 of the 67 workers had been rescued, while three remained trapped under the debris. “The missing workers were identified as Ranjit Bhol (32), Dasarathi Patra (42), and Sushant Rout (55). The trio was engaged by the Operational Energy Group of Tamil Nadu, a provider of power plant services,” said the officer.
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The company announced an ex-gratia of ₹25 lakh and ₹10 lakh insurance for the families of the deceased workers. Also, the families will receive jobs in the company, a house in Rajgangpur, and the company will cover the study expenses of their children up to Class 12.
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The company announced an ex-gratia of ₹25 lakh and ₹10 lakh insurance for the families of the deceased workers. Also, the families will receive jobs in the company, a house in Rajgangpur, and the company will cover the study expenses of their children up to Class 12.
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Officials from the company said that they are prioritising the search and rescue operations. “We have started an internal investigation regarding the mishap. Safety protocols are under review to prevent future occurrences,” said a company official.
On November 26 last year, the overhead conveyor belt structure at the DCBL plant collapsed onto Rajgangpur’s main road, disrupting traffic for nearly 48 hours. Although no one was injured in the incident, it sparked public outrage in the area.
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.
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