Steel Minister announces ₹25 lakh relief after RINL accident

Union Minister for Steel and Heavy Industries H.D. Kumaraswamy arrived in Visakhapatnam in the early hours of Tuesday to review the situation following the accident at the Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL) steel plant that claimed eight lives and injured six workers.

The Minister held discussions with senior RINL officials and district authorities before visiting KIMS Hospital, Sheelanagar, where the injured are undergoing treatment. He directed hospital authorities to ensure the best possible medical care.

Expressing condolences to the bereaved families, Mr. Kumaraswamy announced an ex gratia of ₹25 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased worker, in addition to admissible terminal benefits, and assured permanent employment to one eligible member of each family. The six injured workers will receive ₹10 lakh each, while RINL will bear all medical expenses.

He said the company would also support the education of the children of the deceased and injured workers and continue to provide rehabilitation and welfare assistance to the affected families.

The accident occurred around 4.15 p.m. on Monday at Caster-2 of Steel Melt Shop-1. Preliminary reports indicate that an explosion occurred during molten steel handling operations, triggering a fire that engulfed an overhead crane. Rescue operations were hampered by the presence of molten steel at temperatures exceeding 1,500°C.

RINL has initiated an internal inquiry, while the Ministry of Steel has constituted a three-member committee, headed by the Director-in-Charge of SAIL’s Bokaro Steel Plant, to ascertain the cause of the accident and recommend measures to strengthen safety protocols.