Chhattisgarh appoints judge to probe Balco accident

October 7th, 2009 RAIPUR - Chhattisgarh police have interrogated several Chinese engineers employed by Shandong Electric Power Construction Corporation (SEPCO) at Korba town to probe the Sep 23 collapse of an under-construction power plant chimney that killed 45 workers. "We have interrogated a few Chinese engineers of SEPCO since Monday regarding the Balco tragedy and have also collected some documents," Vivek Sharma, police station in charge of Balco Nagar in Korba, told IANS over phone.

October 7th, 2009 RAIPUR - A senior official of the Gannon Dunkerley and Company Ltd (GDCL), which was constructing the 257-metre chimney for the Balco power plant at Chhattisgarh's Korba town, was arrested Wednesday for the Sep 23 chimney collapse that killed 45 workers. "After a detailed interrogation of GDCL project manager Manoj Sharma for the past few days, we finally arrested him today (Wednesday) for the Balco mishap," District Superintendent of Police (Korba) Ratanlal Dangi told IANS.

October 5th, 2009 RAIPUR - The Chhattisgarh government Monday suspended a senior labour official after an under-construction chimney collapsed at a Bharat Aluminium Company Ltd (Balco) power plant Sep 23, and left 45 workers killed under its debris. Satyaprakash Verma, assistant labour commissioner, was suspended on chages of dereliction duty for remaining absent in the aftermath of the tragedy from Korba town without informing his senior, a state government statement said.

September 30th, 2009 RAIPUR - Chhattisgarh police have summoned the CEO of aluminium major Bharat Aluminium Company Ltd (Balco) for the Sep 23 collapse of an under-construction chimney at a power plant in Korba that killed 45 workers, officials said. "We want to know certain things about the chimney crash tragedy from the Balco management and we have issued a notice to its CEO, Gunjan Gupta, to report to Balco Nagar police station at the earliest," Vivek Sharma, station in-charge of Balco Nagar police station, told IANS over the phone.

September 27th, 2009 RANCHI - Jharkhand Governor K. Sankaranarayanan Sunday announced compensation of Rs.1 lakh for the kin of each of those labourers from the state who were killed in a Balco power plant in Chhattisgarh last week.

September 25th, 2009 RAIPUR - The bodies of 40 workers, all badly disfigured, were recovered till evening from under the debris of a collapsed chimney at the Bharat Aluminium Company Ltd (Balco) plant in Chhattisgarh as rescuers continued to search for survivors on the third day Friday. Authorities fear several more are still trapped in the debris.

September 24th, 2009 BALCO NAGAR - Over 100 rescuers struggled throughout Thursday to save dozens of people suspected to be still trapped under the debris of a 100-metre chimney of the Bharat Aluminium Company Ltd (Balco) plant here that crashed Wednesday. At least 22 bodies have been recovered, and the workers are now demanding a CBI probe into the crash.

September 24th, 2009 35 die in chimney collapse at power plant in IndiaNEW DELHI — Hundreds of rescuers searched Thursday for about 20 people believed still trapped under the rubble of a large chimney that collapsed on workers at a power plant in central India, killing at least 35. It was unclear if any of those missing were still alive after the accident Wednesday in which the 820-foot (250-meter) -tall chimney came crashing down on the plant's cafeteria as the workers had tea.

September 24th, 2009 26 die in chimney collapse at power plant in IndiaNEW DELHI — Hundreds of rescuers searched Thursday for at least 20 people still trapped under the rubble of a large chimney that collapsed on workers at a power plant in central India, killing at least 26. It was unclear if any of those missing were still alive after the accident Wednesday in which the 820-foot (250-meter) -tall chimney came crashing down on the plant's cafeteria as the workers had tea.

September 24th, 2009 BALCO NAGAR - Over 100 rescuers struggled throughout Thursday to save dozens of people suspected to be still trapped under the debris of a 100-metre chimney of the Bharat Aluminium Company Ltd (Balco) plant here that crashed Wednesday. At least 26 bodies have been retrieved and the workers are now demanding a CBI probe into the crash.

September 23rd, 2009 RAIPUR - At least 15 workers were killed and some 50 were trapped under debris when a chimney of an under-construction power plant of Bharat Aluminium Company Ltd (Balco) collapsed in Chhattisgarh's Korba town Wednesday afternoon, police said. The state government has ordered a judicial inquiry into the incident that took place when about 100 workers and engineers were engaged in the construction work at Balco Nagar area, some 250 km north of state capital Raipur.

September 23rd, 2009 RAIPUR - At least 20 workers were killed and some 50 were trapped under debris when a chimney of an under-construction power plant of Bharat Aluminium Company Ltd (Balco) collapsed in Chhattisgarh's Korba town Wednesday afternoon, police said. The state government ordered a judicial inquiry into the accident that took place when about 100 workers and engineers were engaged in the construction work at Balco Nagar area, some 250 km north of state capital Raipur.

September 23rd, 2009 BALCO NAGAR - The rescuers early Thursday continued their search for survivors under the debris of an under-construction power plant chimney of the Bharat Aluminium Company Ltd (Balco) that caved in Wednesday amid heavy rain killing at least 20 labourers. Dozens of people were waiting at the crash site to know the fate of their loved ones who were belived to be trapped under the rubbles.

February 12th, 2009 RAIPUR - The Chhattisgarh government has served notices to as many as 37 industrial units in the past two years, including the Vedanta-controlled Bharat Aluminium Company Ltd.(Balco), for violating industrial pollution norms, the state assembly was informed Friday. 'The government has either moved court or issued notices to 37 industrial units for ignoring pollution norms in Raigarh and Korba districts, including Balco (based in Korba town),' Revenue Minister Amar Agrawal told the house in a written reply to a question by Leader of the Opposition Ravindra Choubey.

February 9th, 2009 RAIPUR - The Bharat Aluminium Company Ltd (BALCO) has encroached 1,036.52 acres of government land in Korba, the Chhattisgarh assembly was told Tuesday. 'The state government had registered 10 cases against the company in Korba between June 17, 2005 and June 28, 2005 under various sections of the land revenue code,' Minister for Revenue Amar Agrawal told the house.