India’s largest power producer NTPC Ltd today said it has shut a 500 MW unit at its Unchahar coal-fired power station in Rae Bareli after an explosion killed 26 people and injured several others.
RAEBARELI: The toll in the explosion in a boiler in the NTPC’s Unchahar plant here has risen to 26, a senior official said on Thursday.According to the District Magistrate of Raebareli, “Ash-pipe explodes due to pressure at NTPC plant in Raebareli, at least 100 injured.”The government is investigating whether there was any negligence.
Rahul Gandhi has taken a break from his ongoing ‘Navsarjan Yatra’ in poll-bound Gujarat and is visiting Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh to meet the families of victims of the explosion.The 1,550-MW plant supplies electricity to nine states, according to officials, and employs around 870 people.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that he was “deeply pained” by the accident at the power plant.Chief Minister Adityanath, who was away in Mauritius on a three-day official visit, ordered that necessary steps be taken for rescue and relief.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi expressed shock and horror at the tragedy and asked party workers to help in the relief operations. Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma will be visiting Rae Bareli on Thursday.
UP Principal Secretary (Home) Arvind Kumar told reporters in Lucknow that the toll in the NTPC boiler blast has risen to 26.UP CM Yogi Adityanath has announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh for next of kin of deceased and Rs 50,000 for critically injured & Rs 25,000 for injured.
Contractual labourers raised slogans on Thursday against the NTPC management. They claimed they had forewarned about the “impending” disaster at the unit-six as the temperature near the furnace was steadily rising.Union Minister R.K. Singh and state Power Minister Shrikant Sharma are also slated to visit.
