NTPC mishap: Rescue operation ends; compensation hiked

Police make a green corridor in Lucknow to ferry victims to AIIMS in New Delhi. Ritesh Shukla

THE TOLL in the explosion in a boiler at state-run NTPC’s Unchahar thermal plant in Rae Bareli rose to 29 on Thursday with rescue operations ending around 1 pm. Ravindra Kumar Rathee, Regional Executive Director (North) of NTPC, told mediapersons in Lucknow that the toll has reached 29. The deceased, mostly daily wage labourers, belonged to Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh.

Among the 85 people who had sustained injuries, while 43 are undergoing treatment in Lucknow and nine have been admitted to the Rae Bareli District Hospital, four have been discharged. The rest have succumbed.

Twenty among the 43 injured undergoing treatment in Lucknow have sustained over 50 per cent burns. While three among them have suffered 100 per cent burns, five have 90 per cent burn injuries, said doctors.

NTPC additional general managers Mishri Lal and Prabhat Srivastava, who were undergoing treatment at KGMU Trauma Centre in Lucknow, were airlifted to Delhi AIIMS on Thursday. The AGMs arrived at the Amausi airport within 22 minutes through a green corridor — a special route where signals are manually operated to avoid red lights and traffic — set up by the police.

Two other victims, admitted at a private hospital near KGMU, were also sent to Delhi AIIMS later in the day through two green corridors — the drive took 19 and 20 minutes, respectively. Doctors at the Lucknow Civil Hospital said that nine more patients, whose condition is critical, will be sent to Delhi AIIMS by an air ambulance on Friday.

Union Minister R K Singh, who visited the plant and met the injured at the Lucknow hospitals, directed NTPC to set up a committee to probe the blast. Following this, a three-member expert committee, headed by S K Roy — executive director at the NTPC — was set up. The committee will have to complete the probe within 30 days.

The Rae Bareli administration, too, has ordered a magisterial inquiry. “A team comprising additional district magistrate and executive engineer (Power) will conduct the inquiry. The team will record the statement of NTPC workers and complete the probe within seven days,” said District Magistrate Sanjay Kumar Khatri.

“A 35-member NDRF team completed its rescue operation around 1 pm,” the DM said.

At Lucknow’s KGMU Burn Unit, Dr Vijay Kumar said that some patients have “inhalational burns”, caused by inhaling the high temperature gas and smog. “In such conditions, where the person is trapped in a closed area with smog and gas in the surrounding, the heat reaches inside the body, damaging vocal chords, windpipe, lungs and even blood vessels. This is the most dangerous kind of burn we can say,” he added.

“Most patients brought to us were dehydrated and had severe burns. We have dressed them all and they are receiving proper treatment,” said Dr A K Singh, head of the plastic surgery department at KGMU.

The NTPC, meanwhile, announced that it is increasing the compensation to be paid the next of kin of the deceased from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 20 lakh. While the seriously injured will receive

Rs 10 lakh, others will get Rs 2 lakh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced financial help of Rs 2 lakh and Rs 50,000 to the kin of the deceased and the injured, respectively.

In a statement, the NTPC said five units of 1,050 MW capacity are operating normally at its Unchahar plant, which supplies electricity to nine states. Only unit 6 of the 1,550-MW plant has been shut down. Officials said the plant is still generating 630 MW out of total operational capacity of 1,050 MW. “While servicing has been going on in one units since October 18, another was shut on Wednesday,” Srivastava said.

NHRC notice to govt

Taking suo motu cognizance of media reports, the National Human Rights Commission has issued a notice to the UP government over the deaths. It on Thursday asked the chief secretary to submit a detailed report within six weeks.

“Expressing its concern over the incident, the commission has observed that a high level probe into the matter is immediately required to ascertain the negligence and errors, if any, behind the incident, which involves the right to life. It has also said that there is a need to ensure that such tragedies do not recur in future,” said a NHRC release.

It also directed the state government to take utmost care to see that the families of the deceased are suitably compensated, without any delay and that the best treatment is provided to injured persons and steps taken for their rehabilitation.