By IANS
Jajpur (Orissa) : Tension gripped Orissa’s steel hub at Kalinga Nagar in Jajpur district Friday following the death of a worker at a steel plant here.
Rajiv Singh, 23, died after a heavy iron shaft fell on him while he was working at the Maithan Ispat Ltd plant, about 120 km from state capital Bhubaneswar.
Singh was a resident of Sariapanpur village in Bihar and was working as a contract labourer at the plant.
Following the incident, hundreds of workers staged protests at the plant, demanding compensation and work for the victim’s family. Production work at the plant was hampered due to the protests.
“The victim was immediately rushed to a hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead,” Ramesh Chandra Padhi, officer-in-charge of the Jakhapura police station told IANS.
Police were deployed at the site, following the huge demonstration by the workers.
“Though the situation is tense here, it is under control,” district police chief D.S. Kute told IANS.
Trade union leaders alleged that the plant management had not taken any safety measures despite repeated pleas by the workers.
“Accidents at the Kalinga Nagar steel plant is common since the management never addressed the problems of the workers.” said Bidyadhar Mohanty, district president of the Indian National Trade Union Congress.