Civil rights activists on Friday charged the management of NLC India Ltd (NLCIL) with “criminal negligence” and failing to take appropriate action against senior officials of the Navaratna Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) in connection with the boiler explosion at Unit V in Thermal Power Station-II that claimed 13 lives.
A. Marx, writer and G. Sugumaran, secretary, Federation for People’s Rights (FPR) said that the management should have been vigilant and taken appropriate action after the first accident at Unit VI in TPS-II on May 7.
Though the boiler was procured from Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), its annual maintenance was handed over to a private player who lacked adequate expertise in handling boilers, Mr. Sugumaran alleged. The private player had not carried out proper maintenance of the boiler, which resulted in the explosion, he claimed.
NLCIL had a number of officers trained in the handling and maintenance of boilers. Two senior-level officers who had completed training on Industrial Safety sponsored by NLCIL were not utilised, but were posted in positions not compatible with their skill and training, he alleged. The second boiler explosion could have been avoided had the PSU posted the two officials in TPS-II after the first accident in May, he said.
Mr. Marx demanded action against officials who were responsible for poor functioning of the infrastructure in the thermal power stations.
The annual maintenance of the Thermal Power plants should be entrusted to PSUs and not private players, he said.
The Central and State governments should take action against officials concerned for ignoring safety aspects. They should also ensure that all the machinery is working before giving their approval to restart operations, Mr. Sugumaran added.
