Kolkata: Three workers of Durgapur Steel Plant died on Friday afternoon following a gas leak in the plant located in West Burdwan district of West Bengal. Five other workers are in critical condition and are undergoing treatment at a private hospital.
The three deceased, who were hired on contractual basis, have been identified as Sajal Chauhan, Sintu Yadav and Santosh Chauhan. The workers of the Steel Plant are in a state of panic following the tragedy and have blamed the plant authorities for it. While labour unions have raised questions on repeated incidents of gas leaks in the plant, the management has informed that a thorough probe will be conducted on this issue.
With three fresh deaths, the total number of deaths because of the gas leak in the plant in the last five years has touched nine. Labour unions have claimed that the plant has not undergone any upgradation work for the last many years and the workers are becoming the victims of negligence. The union also alleged that the contractual workers are not given adequate safety training at the time of appointment. Trade union leader Shek Sahabuddin, who has affiliations to the ruling Trinamool Congress, has demanded an impartial and thorough probe in the matter.
