Hyderabad: The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Saturday took over the probe into the fire at the Srisailam hydro-electric power plant that killed nine people and injured three. The fire broke out in the plant located in Nagarkurnool district of Telangana on August 20. Most of those dead were
engineers.
Additional Director General of Police, CID, Govind Singh, appointed as the Inquiry Officer, along with a team of officials, visited the scene of the accident on Saturday. A case registered by the local police has been transferred to the CID, Singh said.
A woman was among the dead as thick smoke hampered rescue operations for over 12 hours after the fire in the electric panels of the underground powerhouse. The nine bodies were recovered on Friday afternoon.
The victims, who were trapped inside the plant, died trying putting out the fire, officials had said.
Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao on Friday ordered a CID inquiry into the accident.
The CID officer was directed to go into the facts and circumstances leading to the blaze and identify its cause before submitting his report to the government.
The government had also directed Telangana State Power Generation Corporation Ltd (TS-GENCO) Chairman and Managing Director D Prabhakar Rao to constitute a committee of senior officers to inquire into the blaze and give a detailed report.
The GENCO CMD shall report to the government on the findings and recommendations, a Government Order said.
The committee shall also make recommendations on the measures to be taken to prevent such incidents in future, it said.
The Chief Minister yesterday announced Rs 50 lakh as ex- gratia to Deputy Engineer Srinivas Gouds family and Rs 25 lakh each to the kin of other victims.
Also, he announced one job each to the families of the deceased, besides other departmental benefits.
The plant, located 125 metres under the ground in a long tunnel, has only one entry and exit point.
PTI
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