Korba chimney collapse: Mahant seeks Raman Singh`s resignation

Korba: Holding the ruling BJP government responsible for the 2009 chimney collapse incident at a BALCO plant in Chhattisgarh in which 40 people were killed, Union minister Charandas Mahant on Monday demanded resignation of chief minister Raman Singh.

"A judicial commission had indicted the then officials of Korba district, municipal corporation, Town and Country Planning department and Labour department for negligence and complacency", claimed Mahant who is the minister of state for Agriculture and Food Processing. 40 people had been crushed to death and several others injured when an under-construction chimney at BALCO`s upcoming power plant caved in on September 23, 2009. Notably, the Sandip Bakhshi judicial commission, set up to probe the mishap, had indicted BALCO, Chinese firm Shandong Electric Power Construction Corporation (SEPCO), Indian firm Gannon Dunkerley and Company Limited (GDCL) and the government agencies for negligence in its report. The construction was being carried out by Gannon Dunkerley & Company Limited (GDCL) for Shandong Electric Power Construction Corporation (Sepco) on contract for the Bharat Aluminium Co Ltd (BALCO). "Stringent action be taken against the then officials of the concerned department....Being the head of the state government, the chief minister should take responsibility of the mishap and resign from his post", Mahant demanded. PTI