Ropar, June 16
A fire broke out at the unit number 5 of thermal plant here last night. The unit generated 50 lakh units worth more than Rs 1 crore daily. With more than a week’s time needed to repair it, the PSEB is set to lose about Rs 8 crore.
The fire broke out at around 8:30 pm and could be controlled only by 2:30 am. All fire tenders at the thermal plant were pressed into service to save around hundred employees working inside the unit.
At around 7:30 pm, employees working in the unit noticed a stock of cables in cable gallery was smoldering due to accumulation of hot-coal dust. Foam and water were used on smoldering power cables. However, the heat of smoldering cables put control cables on fire that spread to the control room.
Eyewitnesses said the smoldering caused thick cloud of smoke. Firefighters had to break window glasses to save the staff from suffocation.
Poor maintenance of this 23-year-old unit has led to the fire. The coal mills at the plant are not been maintained properly. An employee said the working condition worsened in summer due to high coal-dust.
The employees had reportedly brought those irregularities to the notice of the chief engineer, but no action had been taken. Only last month, employees had brought the smoldering of cables to the notice of the authorities concerned. Chief engineer Krishan Kumar Sood was not available for comments.
