Vizag toll blast rises to 10, 22 officials suspended

THe demise toll in the blare at the Visakhapatnam nerve set rosebush to 10 on Saturday after another contract worker succumbed to burn injuries, even as the Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd (RINL) management suspended 22 officials across multiple departments, holding them responsible for the accident, people familiar with the matter said.The incident occurred at the RINL plant in Visakhapatnam on June 8 when molten steel leaked in one of the units, killing eight workers on the spot and leaving six others seriously injured. On June 10, one of the injured workers, K Pydi Raju, died while undergoing treatment.According to an RINL official, Gokivada Suribabu, AGE, a contract worker from Seethanagaram in Peddagantyada, Visakhapatnam, who sustained 95% burn injuries, succumbed while undergoing treatment at Seven Hills Hospital on Saturday afternoon.“The body of Suribabu has been shifted to King George Hospital for post-mortem examination. Later, the body will be handed over to the family members,” the official said.With Suribabu’s death, the total number of fatalities resulting from the accident has reached 10.An RINL official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the management, after a preliminary inquiry conducted over the last two days, suspended 22 officials on Friday, holding them responsible for the accident.According to the official, 10 personnel from the SMS-1 and SMS-2 (steel melting shop) units, five officials from the material management department and seven employees from the quality assurance and testing department (QATD) were suspended.“The officers are in the ranks of deputy general manager, assistant general manager, and senior manager. Further action against additional officials is also under consideration,” the official said.Earlier on Thursday, the RINL management transferred seven officials, including three general managers and four deputy general managers, in connection with the blast.The official said top management conducted inspections of ladles used for transporting molten steel and examined operations at the central stores department. During the inspections, officials reportedly discovered the use of substandard ferro-alloys and other materials, raising serious questions about quality control mechanisms within the plant.“In the SMS units, ferro-alloys and other metallic additives are mixed with hot metal during the steelmaking process. Ensuring the quality of these materials is the responsibility of quality control officials. However, inquiries revealed usage of inferior materials,” the official said.Trade union leaders called for a thorough investigation into systemic failures and the implementation of corrective measures to prevent future incidents, rather than “washing off their hands” by suspending a few officials.Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) leader D Adinarayana alleged that while key people, including the chief general manager (works) and director (commercial), who were responsible for the procurement and usage of substandard material, were let off, those not directly connected with the accident were suspended.Another trade union leader, who declined to be named, said issues relating to the quality of ferro-alloys had surfaced in the past as well.“About two years back, while reviewing the techno economic parameters, it was observed that specific consumption of ferro alloys was very high when compared with the norms,” he said.He argued that poor-quality raw material only increases consumption per tonne of steel and raises production costs, but does not cause blasts and leaks.“It is the operational practices that result in such incidents,” he claimed.He demanded that the top management be held responsible for procedural violations and deviations from established norms.“Safety standards are sometimes overlooked due to external pressures, or short-term production targets,” the trade union leader said.