NTPC blast death toll rises to 32, CMD says panel to submit report in a month

The death toll in the disaster at NTPC’s Unchahar unit rose to 32 on Friday, two days after a boiler at the power plant exploded to fatal consequences.

NTPC chairman and managing director Gurdeep Singh confirmed the count, adding that a panel headed by executive director SK Roy has been appointed to probe the cause of the accident.

“The NTPC plant explosion was the rarest kind of incident,” said Singh. “The people maintaining the unit were very experienced.”

Union power minister RK Singh had earlier denied claims from political detractors that negligence was to blame for the blast. “I have seen everything during my physical inspection of the accident scene and I can say that there is no human negligence in the unfortunate incident,” the politician said during his visit to the NTPC plant on Thursday.

Gurdeep Singh said the blast had caused untold damage to the facility, and it would take at least three-six months to make it functional again.

The incident came in for intense criticism, and many Opposition candidates – including Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi – visited the spot to assess the situation.

Gandhi also demanded a judicial probe into the incident. “Was very sad to see the pain of the victims of the incident. Their families should be better compensated...” he tweeted. The political leader later visited the Rae Bareli district hospital to meet the injured.

Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, who accompanied Gandhi to the site, demanded that the allegations levelled by workers about deteriorating safety standards at the plant be investigated thoroughly.

The National Human Rights Commission has called for an inquiry into the incident, which occurred on Wednesday. It has asked the Uttar Pradesh government to submit a detailed report within six weeks.