RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh police have registered an FIR against Anil Agrawal chairman and founder of Vedanta Resources Ltd and Sakti plant head Devendra Patel and others in connection with the April 14 blast at Vedanta’s power plant in Sakti district, as the death toll climbed to 20 and preliminary findings pointed to serious lapses in plant operations.The case was lodged at Dabhra police station under sections 106 (causing death by negligence), 289 (negligent conduct with respect to machinery) and 3(5) (common intention) of the BNS. Sakti SP Prafull Thakur in a statement issued on Thursday evening said eight to 10 people, including chairman Agrawal, management officials and others found responsible, have been named in the FIR. More names and additional sections could be added as the probe progresses.The explosion took place at Singhitarai village when a high-pressure steam tube linked to the boiler-turbine system burst, leaving dozens with severe burns. Of the 36 workers affected, 20 have died and 16 are undergoing treatment at different hospitals. A preliminary inspection by the industrial safety department has flagged what officials described as grave negligence by the plant management. According to the initial findings, the boiler load was ramped up sharply from 350 MW to around 590 MW in a short span in a bid to nearly double production. Investigators suspect the rapid increase destabilized the system, while faults in the primary air fan, pressure build-up from unburnt fuel, failure of the piping system and ineffective backup response may have worsened the situation. The findings by the boiler chief inspector indicate that excessive accumulation of fuel inside the furnace led to a sharp build-up of pressure, triggering the blast. The force of the explosion displaced a lower pipeline from its position, aggravating the impact. A forensic report by the FSL unit in Sakti corroborated that excessive fuel build-up and resultant pressure were the primary causes.Officials said furnace pressure rose suddenly within one to two seconds around 2.33 pm on the day of the blast, leaving little time for shutdown or corrective intervention.The industrial safety department’s boiler inspector and his team examined the site for nearly six hours and submitted their report, on the basis of which the FIR was registered. Postmortem reports, forensic findings and a detailed technical assessment are still awaited.Sakti SP Praful Thakur has constituted a special investigation team led by additional SP Pankaj Patel, with SDOP Sumit Gupta, forensic officer Srishti Singh and Dabhra SHO Rajesh Patel as members. Police said further technical examination is underway and strict legal action will follow based on the probe.Collector Amrit Vikas Topno has also ordered a magisterial inquiry and sought a report within 30 days.The blast has triggered sharp political reaction, with opposition leaders demanding accountability from the company and a thorough probe into the circumstances that led to one of the deadliest industrial accidents in the state in recent years.
