Compensation Demand Triggers Heated Exchange During Vizag Steel Plant Tragedy Visit

A visit by Andhra Pradesh Minister Nara Lokesh to King George Hospital (KGH) in Visakhapatnam turned tense on Tuesday as Left party leaders and trade union representatives demanded enhanced compensation and an independent probe into the deadly accident at the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant.

The confrontation followed Monday’s tragic incident at the Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL)-run steel plant, in which at least eight workers lost their lives and six others sustained injuries. Preliminary reports indicated that an explosion inside Steel Melt Shop-1 led to a fire and the collapse of a ladle carrying molten steel at extremely high temperatures, trapping workers inside.

During Lokesh’s interaction with the victims’ families, leaders from the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) urged the government to increase the ex gratia amount from ₹25 lakh to ₹1 crore for each bereaved family. They argued that previous administrations had announced higher compensation packages in similar industrial disasters.

The Left leaders also alleged that repeated warnings regarding outdated machinery, inadequate manpower and compromised safety standards had been ignored by the plant management. According to them, workers and engineers had long raised concerns about the need for equipment upgrades and improved workplace safeguards.

Responding to the criticism, Lokesh assured the families that the state government remained committed to supporting them beyond immediate financial assistance. He said the administration would continue to stand by those affected and provide help whenever necessary.

Trade unions, however, maintained that compensation alone could not address the larger issue of industrial safety. Rejecting the idea of an internal inquiry, they called for an independent investigation involving technical experts and retired industry professionals to determine the cause of the accident and recommend preventive measures. The Union Steel Ministry has since ordered an inquiry and constituted an external panel to investigate the tragedy.