Durgapur News Bureau, 23rd July 2022: One worker died and two were severely injured in an oxygen cylinder explosion in Durgapur on Wednesday, July 24. The incident took place at “Goyal Oxygen Plant” in the Mayabazar area of Durgapur, right in front of the state-owned Alloy Steels Plant; killing Gora Gope aged 53 years.
It is learnt that the worker named Gora Gope was refilling oxygen gas in the cylinder, when the blast took place, tearing his body apart and he died on the spot. The blast took place probably due to the fact that the condition of the old cylinder was very poor and being unable to bear the inside pressure exploded at about 4:45 in the afternoon. Two injured coworkers of Gora were taken to the Health World Hospital near Gandhi More of Durgapur.
After this horrendous incident the workers there staged protest agitation, keeping the dead body of Gora Gope inside the factory, demanding adequate compensation and raising safety concerns.
The workers complained that there is no minimum safety and even basic safety steps aren’t taken by the factory authority.
It came to be known from the workers’ there that, earlier too a worker was mysteriously killed inside the factory. Authorities promised financial compensation. But they did not keep that promise.
However, one of the factory’s contractors tried to avoid liability by claiming that the workers’ allegations about safety were unfounded and that it was an accident, which could happen. Police from Durgapur Police Station rushed to the spot after receiving the news of the tumultuous workers’ protest. The workers called off the protest after receiving assurances of proper financial compensation from the factory authority.