The Unchahar Accident That Has Claimed 29 Lives – With Whom Does The Onus Rest?

The 500 MW unit six of the Feroze Gandhi Unchahar Thermal Power Station at Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh that exploded on Wednesday (1 November) and has claimed 29 lives so far, was a newly supplied unit by state-owned Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) that was commissioned in March and declared commercial in September.

Commercial operations were declared in the presence of independent engineers who checked machinery for 72 hours before declaring it commercial.

Reports cited National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) officials as saying that its engineers don’t have much of a role when the operations of the unit were declared commercial in September, as the process happened in the presence of independent engineers.

But, notwithstanding this, the explosion in a brand new unit also raises a question mark on the processes being followed. Supplier BHEL will also face a probe in this incident.

On its part, NTPC maintains that it is a system-based organisation and follows best operations and maintenance practices. The top brass from BHEL and NTPC are already at the site to figure out why.

Besides the 29 deceased, nearly 85 workers are being treated at hospitals in Rae Bareli and Lucknow.

NTPC has shut down this unit of the plant after the accident, even as five other units (of 500 MW each) of the Unchahar station are operating normally.

In a regulatory filing in the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), the NTPC said, “This is to inform that Unit 6 (500 MW) of Feroze Gandhi Unchahar Thermal Power Station, Rae Bareli, is under shut down after an accident in the evening of November 1, 2017. The other five units of the station are operating normally.”

While the Power Ministry has set up a high-level committee to investigate the matter, the Uttar Pradesh government has also ordered an inquiry to determine within seven days the cause of the blast in the Unchahar plant.

“Blockages in the flue gas pipe in a unit led to the blast. Hot fuel gases and steam let out by the blast severely injured several workers,” Sanjay Kumar Khatri, the top government official of Rae Bareli district, where the plant is located, was quoted by news wire Reuters on Thursday (2 November).

“A magisterial inquiry has been initiated. This two-member technical team will submit findings within seven days,” Khatri said.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has also served a notice to the Uttar Pradesh government over the massive death toll in the blast. Even NTPC has launched a probe into the incident at the level of executive director; officials at NTPC said the blast took place due to “excess ash deposition” in the furnace.

On its part, the Power Ministry officials have denied that the Unchahar explosion took place because there was a hurry in starting operations. With no demand in September, officials said there was no need to rush.

“Unit was commissioned in March and COD (commercial operation date) done in September. Commercial operations are declared in presence of independent engineers who check machinery for 72 hours before declaring COD. NTPC engineers don't have a role at this time.  But, this is first time that a brand new unit has exploded and BHEL engineers are at site to figure out why,” the officials said.

Power Minister R K Singh and Uttar Pradesh Power Minister Shrikant Sharma visited the NTPC to take stock of the situation. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi also visited Rae Bareli to meet the injured and said his party will demand a probe into the incident.