ROURKELA: The stand-off over the accidental death of a contract worker was resolved on Sunday after the Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) announced regular employment for the deceased’s daughter and financial assistance for the bereaved family.
Prakash Swain (54) of Tala Balijodi area, who was engaged with contract firm Pradhan Enterprises, died on Saturday evening after reportedly falling from a height at calcining plant-2 near steel melting shop-2 of the RSP. Members of the RSP’s recognised union and Rourkela Shramik Sangh along with other trade unions held discussions with plant authorities over employment and compensation for the family.
Rourkela Shramik Sangh’s vice-president Nihar Ranjan Das said the bereaved family initially refused to accept the body following which RSP officials handed over a written assurance on Sunday morning, stating that Swain’s 20-year-old daughter will be provided a permanent job at RSP.
Das said the worker’s family will receive around Rs 10 lakh under the ESI scheme, Rs 6 lakh under the Employees’ Deposit Linked Insurance (EDLI) scheme, and a monthly pension of Rs 12,000 under the EPF scheme. Separately, the contract firm has provided Rs 50,000 towards cremation expenses and agreed to pay Rs 15,000 per month until the family begins receiving ESI, EDLI, and EPF benefits, which typically take six to eight months to process.
Following the settlement, Swain’s body was sent for postmortem on Sunday afternoon and later cremated. RSP has ordered an inquiry into the incident and pending investigation, placed two executives under suspension.