Talcher: Tension prevailed here after slurry ash flowed on a road following a burst in the outlet pipe of Talcher Thermal Power Station (TTPS) Sunday.
The burst was so severe that slurry ash water over 20-25 ft height gushed out in the morning. As a result, the road was completely inundated and a hotel owned by Subhash Mohapatra was buried under the heap.
The slurry ash continued to flow for over one and a half hours and left a huge deposit to the height of a knee on the road. The effluent flowed into a nearby canal. TTPS authorities swung into action and plugged the pipe.
The incident evoked sharp reactions in the area while irate residents took to streets in protest against the mishap. Staging a road blockade, they demanded a high-level probe into the incident which has become a regular occurrence due to lack of maintenance and use of substandard pipes.
They sought compensation for Mohapatra, a permanent solution to the problem and lighting facility on the roads.
T
hey relented after TTPS authorities, police and administrative officials assured them of a discussion over the issue with the power station’s general manager Tuesday.
The incident occurred when the pipe carrying slurry ash from the power station to Mahanadi Coalfields Limited’s Jagannath area burst at 6 am near the bus-stop at Central Colony. As a result, the effluent came gushing out of the pipe and inundated the road and the roadside eatery.
Mohapatra alleged the ash water lowing at a great height broke the asbestos roof of his eatery and destroyed all his equipment.
After reports surfaced, Zilla Parishad member Reetarani Das, Ghantapada sarpanch Sunil Biswal, BJP leader Harmohan Mishra, Bijay Biswal rushed to the spot and met Mohapatra and other affected persons.
According to reports, a similar incident had taken place at Baghamara Sahi in Ghantapada village under this block April 15. The ash water had then flowed on road and entered several houses.
A former Zilla parishad member Raj Kishore Sahu lodged a complaint in the Colliery police station demanding action against TTPS authorities. In his complaint he alleged such incidents occur at regular intervals in between Ghantapada and Balanda. PNN
