VEDANTA'S KILLER CHIMNEY AT KORBA -- A BRIEF REPORT

 

Brief Preliminary Report

 

on

Vedanta's Killer Chimney

at KORBA in Chhattisgarh, India

 

 

A group of Journalists, social activists, Trade Union leaders and activists, Human Rights Activists, Advocates etc from all over the state visited Vedanta owned Balco on a fact finding mission in to the under construction 220 meter high chimney that collapsed killing many workers.

 

 

The team members met the General Manager cum PRO of Balco who tried to impress upon the members of the fact finding team that it was an unusual incident in which due to lightning that is not seen in the area since last about 26-30 year because of which the chimney collapsed at about 4 PM of 23^rd Sept, 09. He was very much sure that there are no more dead bodies as the removal of the debris has reached to the ground level and as such there was no need to do any further digging. He also added that even District collector Mr. Agarwal also agreed to them and ordered to stop the rescue work at about 12 noon of 28-09-2009. He stated that in all 41 dead bodies have been found which are sent to their homes. On asking the list of the workers who were at the site at the time of accident, his reply was not satisfactory as he tried to put the ball in the court of SEPCO and GDCL. Not a single officer of SEPCO or GDCL was available as all of them fled away immediately of the accident taking place. Even the names and addresses of the workers whose dead bodies have been sent home was not available with him, since they were very busy with relief and rescue work from the moment the accident took place. He stated that we wanted to inspect the accident site where he arranged the company photographer to take us to the site of accident.

 

One staff of the company escorted us from one gate to another where our entry was denied. The effort of the staff was falling on deaf ears of the security staff of the company at the gates that were heavily guarded by the armed state police personnel. It took almost one and half hour before finally we were allowed to go in side the campus thanks to the company staff who did his best to convince those officers to let us go in. After crossing the main gate, there was another gate that was under the guard of the security services of the company.

 

Finally when we reached the site of accident, we found that few police officers and staff were busy in fixing tapes to cordon off the area where heaps of rubbish of cement concrete and iron rods entangled with each other were seen. We are of the opinion that the time of one and half hour was taken so as show off that the area is sealed and that no activity is allowed there.

 

We interacted with some of the workers who have seen with their own eyes the sudden collapse of the 220-meter high chimney that was under construction. As per their statement, chimney, which has a 60 meters or more diameter at the base, sank down in the soil all of a sudden, split apart and collapsed. All happened within one and half minute blowing cement dust in that area. Rains were there but the lightning of the magnitude that the company claims is totally ruled out. We also interacted with the trade union leaders, Journalists at Korba who had covered the news by visiting the site since the incident happened. We came to know that all the staff of GDCL, SEPCO and Balco has run away from the site and were not seen at the site.

 

We tried to contact District Collector and also Superintendent of Police but were not available. We were surprised to note that not a single arrest has been made till now, though under Factories Act, the occupier and the owner of the company are to be arrested immediately. 

 

The interim report will be published soon before we come out with a final report. However, in the mean time, I am to state that the fact-finding team is of the firm opinion that there were minimum 180 workers working within the chimney at the top and at the base. There were about 60 outside at 3 stores and one canteen. There was one hydra and a miller machine that was also covered under the debris. Only top of the hydra machine was visible.

 

The chimney has sunk below the soil where in the base there were almost 100 workers but that portion which has sunk is not excavated. There is every chance of many more dead bodies than that of what has been found so far. There were 12 Benches  within the walls of chimney at the base where in each bench machine 3 workers were working and about 25 workers were supplying them the material.

 

The statement of Vedanta P.R.O. is false, misleading and an effort to hide the truth to save their skin. There is an urgent need to excavate the entire area over which the base was constructed. The lightning theory put forward by Vedanta is also ruled out.  The interim report will carry more details. Role of district administration so far leads us to believe that a hand in glove approach exists between them and the Vedanta management. There is a strong need for an impartial inquiry at the earliest.

 

Pravin Patel

Human Rights Activist

Member- Fact Finding team

on Vedanta's chimney disaster