The Vedanta-controlled Bharat Aluminium Company Limited (Balco) did not have the required permission to construct the chimney for its power plant that collapsed yesterday killing at least 25 people.
The company had earlier constructed one chimney for its 1200-Mw power plant coming up in the aluminium complex in Korba. This was the second chimney for the plant and the aluminium major was constructing it without the required permission from the civic authorities.
"The company did not take permission from the Korba Municipal Corporation (KMC) for the second chimney and we had served notices for violating the norms," Korba Mayor Lakhanlal Dewangan told Business Standard.
Just a week ago, a team of KMC reached the site and stopped the construction work. "But the company started the work again," Dewangan said, adding that it was not possible to check whether the company was following the order as the site was located inside the plant.
The Balco management, however, said that it had all the clearances. "The construction was going on as per the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with the state government and the company had all the necessary clearances," Balco's Chief of Corporate Communications Binod Kumar Sriwastav said.
The reported absence of Balco officials soon after the accident have come under the scanner. Laxmi Chouhan, a social activist, said that the local youths gathered at the site and started the rescue work.
Chief Minister Raman Singh, who inspected the site this afternoon, said that it was unfortunate that the company officials were missing from the rescue work and would be probed in the judicial investigation ordered by the state government.
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According to him, it would take another two days to clear the debris in which more than 40 labourers were feared trapped. "It is totally concrete structures and the rescue teams are working at their best to clear the rubble at the earliest," he said. Until the debris was cleared, it would be too early to quote the figure of casualty, Singh added.
Meanwhile, the experts from the mining companies have been pressed into service to clear the debris at the earliest. State home minister Nankiram Kanwar said that the administrative officials informed that it would take another four days to clear the ruins but they were directed to clear it in two days and rescue the people trapped inside.
The Korba police had lodged a case against the Balco management under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Kanwar said.
Unconfirmed reports suggested that the toll in yesterday's mishap would cross 30. The local administration has been putting the figure at 25.
Sources said that the figure could be much more as the rescue work in the exact crash site was yet to start. The teams were yet to start work on the sites of two store rooms on which the huge chimney had collapsed. Maximum labourers had taken shelter in those rooms from rains.
"After cutting the rods and the steel structure which was taking much time, we are hopeful to start the work (on the storerooms site) by late evening," an official engaged in operation said.