One killed and two injured.
Another industrial accident had hit Vedanta-controlled Bharat Aluminium Company Limited (Balco) in Korba as a heavy iron gate at fabrication shop crashed killing a contract worker and injuring two others.
The irked workers did not allow taking the body of the workers from the accident site till late yesterday night demanding announcement of compensation from the company. The police had to resort to a mild lathi-charge to disperse the workers to shift the body to the hospital.
The fresh accident in Balco's Korba aluminium plant took place yesterday afternoon when a heavy iron gate installed at the re-heating furnace of the fabrication shop came crashing down. The iron structure trapped a contract worker identified at Saheblal Yadav (35).
Two others at the site including engineer Tikeshwar Sahu and a worker Dhananjay Yadav were serious injured in the mishap. The injured were immediately rushed to the Balco hospital, where their condition was reported to be critical.
The accident irked the workers who gathered at the site and prevented the authorities to take the body. The trade union leaders demanded compensation and a job for the family member of the deceased before calling off their stir.
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As tension mounted inside the plant, security personnel from the state police were pushed in. The city magistrate, Bhushan Dubey also reached the spot and started a tri-partite negotiation.
Workers charged that the negotiation did not reach to any conclusion as the Balco management was unnecessarily delaying the talks.
"Balco management was of the impression that these talks should be stretched for the dead of the night so that the workers would spontaneously leave the place", said B L Netam, general secretary of Aluminium Kamgaar Sangh.
The workers did not leave the place till late night, forcing the police to resort to a mild lathi-charge to disperse the workers and take the body under its control. Netam said the body was handed over to the family members Friday morning. The funeral took place in the afternoon while the company was yet announce the compensation, he added.
Balco refused comment anything on the issue of compensation.