Assam: Tragedy at an Ethanol Plant in Sipajhar; Worker Dies, Two Injured in Construction Mishap

GUWAHATI: In a tragic accident at the under-construction ethanol plant in Singimari village, under Sipajhar police station, Darrang district, one worker lost his life while two others were seriously injured on Saturday. The workers fell from a height of around 25 meters while working at the plant belonging to Kamakhya Bio Fuel Pvt Ltd.

The identity of the deceased is Sariful Islam of Barpeta, while Osman Gani and Nijamuddin sustained injuries in the fall. All three were immediately taken to government hospitals in Bezera and Sipajhar for emergency medical treatment. The incident has fired up unrest among the workforce, raising quite a few serious questions about safety protocols and medical preparedness at the construction site.

However, sources from within the plant said it was an accident during the still construction phase of the plant. But workers at the site say fundamental safety measures were lacking, accusing the management of failure to comply with provisions of the Labour Act. They said the severity of the incident was partly because there were no protective equipment or proper medical facilities at the site.

The chaos since the accident has sparked off demands for immediate action. Workers are asking for compensation for the family of the deceased as well as for the injured and have en masse asked that strict safety measures be implemented henceforth. Many complained about the lack of basic health and hygiene provisions at the site, claiming such shortcomings put their well-being in jeopardy.

One of the representatives of the management team of Kamakhya Bio Fuel Pvt Ltd admitted that the construction work was outsourced to the KP Construction Company. He, in an interview with the local media, stated that flaws in the safety mechanism were found in the site. Further, he claimed that stringent safety mechanisms would be enforced immediately. He said he also ordered the company to pay compensation to the families of the dead workers to be defined by the contract workers' rights.

As the situation unfolds, the incident underlines worker safety as the workforce demands immediate reforms so such tragedies do not happen in the future. The pressure is on the authorities and the management to listen to grievances to ensure safety in working conditions.

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