Saryu Rai visits Hindalco red mud plant accident site in Muri

Ranchi: State’s Food and Civil Supplies Minister Saryu Rai visited the Hindalco red mud pond accident site in Muri during which he was accompanied by the plant head NN Rai and other officials of the company.

Mr Rai said to the officials of the company that the pollution board had ordered for a closure of the factory after an investigation in 2017 and said that had that time steps taken this accident would have not have taken place and blamed negligence on part of the company’s management.

On the other hand, the unit head of the company pointed that after the objections were raised by the pollution board the plant was closed for 39 days and all the flaws were corrected and those operations had recommended. He said that after the pond was filled in 20102 as per guideline and map prepared by the experts of IITs and ISM Dhanbad the red mud was being dumped in the area.

He said that the probe is being done on the accident and pointed out that soon a team of experts from Italy would come to probe. The minister raised his objections over the debris being dumped at the side of the river over which the company said that that residue is being kept at the railway siding which would be later sent to its cement plant.

The minister had downloaded the image before and after the incident from google map and had pointed that agriculture land on 19 acres was damaged on the incident for which the compensation should be paid and had described the entire incident as man-made.