PARADIP: Tension prevailed in the prohibited area of Paradip Port after two drivers were killed in an accident on Saturday night.
Cargo operations at the port were disrupted for 14 hours as thousands of contractual workers blocked all the four gates following the mishap.
Sources said the accident occurred when a dumper deployed by the inter-port transport agency broke down due to air compression failure. Two persons were assigned to repair the vehicle inside the port’s restricted area. Ratnakar Swain (35) of Astrang in Puri was maneuvering the steering wheel while Chandan Jena (38) of Sandhakuda within Jatadhari Marine police limits was fixing the vehicle underneath it.
All of a sudden, an iron-laden truck rammed into the stationary dumper, seriously injuring both Swain and Jena. The injured duo was shifted to Paradip community health centre where doctors declared them dead. The driver of the iron-laden truck was reportedly under the influence of alcohol.
Enraged by the incident, contractual workers closed all the four gates of the port. They also staged dharna at gate number 2 of the port, demanding compensation of Rs 1 crore for each of the deceased and jobs for their family members. The agitators accused port officials and stevedoring personnel of negligence in safety protocols.
On being informed, a police team led by additional SP Smruti Ranjan Kar rushed to the protest site. Additional district magistrate of Paradip Niranjan Behera also arrived on the spot and held discussion with the protesters. The protest was called off after it was decided to provide adequate compensation to the bereaved families.
Paradip Model IIC Kabuli Barik said bodies of the deceased were sent to Kujang hospital for postmortem. The iron-laden truck involved in the accident has been seized while its driver is absconding. Further investigation is underway.