Government panel seeks 7 more days to submit report on Bhilai plant

NEW DELHI: The government-appointed panel to probe the June 12 leakage of toxic gas at the Steel Authority of India's Bhilai plant, which left six people dead, has sought an additional week's time to submit its final report.

The independent high-level committee was constituted to inquire about the cause of gas leakage in Bhilai Steel Plant.

The four-member panel, headed by former CMD of Mecon K K Mehrotra, was earlier asked to submit its final report to the Steel Ministry by July 17. This has been extended by a week upon its request, a senior ministry official said.

The three other members of the panel are K A P Singh, former MD of Bokaro Steel Plant; SB Mathur, Director General of the Directorate General of Factory Advice Service & Labour Institute in Mumbai; and Soumitra Tarafder, Chief Scientist at the National Metallurgical Laboratory in Jamshedpur.

The leakage of carbon monoxide at the plant affected 36 people. Five of them, including two Deputy General Managers, died during treatment, while the body of Vikas Verma, a contract worker, was found in the pump house where the mishap occurred.