NTPC labourers, kin allege many missing, create ruckus near plant

Labourers nd their kin on Thursday created a ruckus outside the gates of National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) plant at Unchahar, alleging that many of their colleagues were missing since Wednesday's boiler blast.

The blast at the company's plant in Raebareli district of Uttar Pradesh had claimed 30 lives and left more than 100 others injured.

The labourers alleged that the NTPC officials were not allowing them to enter the plant nor were providing any information about the "missing" workers.

One of the labourers also told Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, who visited the plant on Thursday, that many of their colleagues had gone missing. He also claimed that around 200 workers were working within a distance of zero to 76 metres of the blast site.

The labourers said that there could be bodies buried under the huge pile of ash and rubble.

Senior NTPC and district officials were trying to persuade the labourers to call off their protest, reports said.

Sources in the NTPC said that relief and rescue operations were complete. The plant has been closed following the tragedy.

Search launched

Sources also said that the NTPC officials did not expect to find any bodies under the pile of ash and rubble but a search had been launched.

Thousands of labourers from different parts of the country, especially Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and other regions, worked at the plant. A majority of them are casual labourers, who worked on daily wages.