New Delhi, April 16 (IANS). The country’s leading mining company Vedanta is again under the scanner after the boiler tube burst incident at its Chhattisgarh plant has raised concerns about the company’s industrial safety practices.
At least 14 employees have died and many have been seriously injured in this incident.
Anil Agarwal-led Vedanta has repeatedly come up in discussions over industrial safety as its mining, metals, oil and gas and power businesses have been hit by reports of workplace deaths over the years.
In a 2010 compilation of companies listed on the London Stock Exchange, Vedanta Resources Limited was marked as the company with 67 deaths, the highest among mining companies listed on the Stock Exchange at that time.
This had a widespread impact and the British Safety Council withdrew the safety awards previously given to the company and its subsidiary Balco.
In another major incident in Korba, Chhattisgarh, 40 workers died after a chimney collapsed, following which the police registered a case of culpable homicide against company officials. The company had attributed the incident to bad weather.
According to reports, recently revealed information shows that security concerns have not been fully resolved.
The number of workplace deaths across all Vedanta operating areas increased from seven in FY2020 to 13 in FY2023, then declined slightly and increased again to seven in FY2025, including six workers and one employee.
Comparative industry data also shows that Vedanta is one of the companies with relatively higher number of deaths.
The company’s annual report for fiscal year 2025 noted a huge increase in internal complaints related to workplace safety.
Employees and workers filed 1,363 health and safety complaints in fiscal year 2025, more than double the 603 complaints filed in fiscal year 2024.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep grief over the loss of lives and property in the Chhattisgarh accident. He announced an amount of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund.
State Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of each deceased worker and Rs 50,000 to the injured. He also ordered the Commissioner of Bilaspur Division to investigate the incident.
The district administration has also ordered a separate magisterial inquiry into the accident. The administration has been directed to ensure proper treatment of the injured and review safety standards.
The accident occurred on April 14 at the company’s plant in Singhanatrai village in Shakti district, when a high-pressure boiler pipe burst, releasing extremely hot steam with a temperature of about 600 degrees Celsius, killing several employees.
–IANS
abs/