VISAKHAPATNAM:

Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL) Visakhapatnam Steel Plant’s recognised union on Tuesday held the management and the ruling coalition government responsible for the fatal blast at Steel Melting Shop-1 (SMS-1) on June 8, 2026, which killed eight workers.

Visakhapatnam steel blast claims a ninth life: a father’s last video tells his sons how to live without him

Addressing the media, the union vice-president, Varasala Srinivasa Rao, alleged that the tragedy was a direct consequence of severe manpower shortages, increased workload, and a total neglect of critical machinery maintenance over the past two years. He pointed out that the permanent workforce has dropped from 18,500 to just 8,500 in the last 25 months, while the contract workforce has been reduced by nearly half.

The union leader further charged that the management compromised operational safety by purchasing substandard raw materials, which damaged heavy machinery and forced several departments to halt production.