Four employees of the Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL), the corporate entity of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP), fell consciousness at their workplace (Blast Furnace-1) late on Wednesday night following a gas leak.
They were immediately admitted to various hospitals, where their condition was said to be stable as on Thursday.
The four employees were identified as Susmith, Yadav, M. Venkateswara Rao and Ramaraju. As they fell unconscious, their colleagues immediately switched off the gas supply to the furnace, and later shifted them to the Steel Plant’s general hospital. Later, one of them, Mr. Venkateswara Rao, was shifted to a corporate hospital, where his condition was improving.
When contacted, RINL official sources said, “Such incidents happen regularly. The affected employees have been shifted to hospitals, where their condition is stable.”
Meanwhile, Visakhapatnam MP M. Sribharat visited the corporate hospital where Mr. Venkateswara Rao was being treated, and enquired about his health with the doctors. Mr. Bharat sought to know the reasons behind the incident with the patient and others assisting him, and assured that such incidents would not recur.
On the other hand, CPI(M) State Executive leader Ch. Narasinga Rao, who is also a key VSP union leader, said the workers were worried about the condition of the steel plant after the recent developments such as lay-offs and reduction in the number of employees in the form of VRS.
“The plant management should monitor the safety of the operations, otherwise it will become a great danger to all stakeholders,” he said.
Published – May 02, 2025 03:53 am IST
