Amaravati: “Did any of your family members die?” was the cold reaction of Andhra Pradesh IT Minister Nara Lokesh when workers’ union leaders of Vizag Steel Plant confronted him on Tuesday morning, June 9.
Lokesh lost his cool during his visit to the King George Hospital in Visakhapatnam, where the injured workers are receiving treatment.
At least eight workers of the Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd (Vizag Steel Plant) were killed and several injured here after molten iron spilt on them. The iron was extremely hot at about 1,600 degrees Celsius.
“At the time of the incident, casting operations were underway at Caster-2 of Steel Melt Shop-1. Before the slide gate could be opened to pour hot crude steel from the ladle to the tundish for further casting, a sudden and severe explosion took place. A large ball of fire rose to the ceiling of the shop, and Overhead Crane-2 subsequently caught fire,” the Union Ministry of Steel said in a statement.
Officials said that the crane carrying the ladle broke and the searing molten steel poured onto the floor, instantly burning several workers alive.
Angry union leaders questioned why unskilled workers, not trained in handling heavy machinery, were at the site. They demanded that Lokesh announce ex gratia for the victims’ families.
“Did your family members die? I came here to meet the families of the victims. Do not play politics here,” he snapped back, only escalating the situation.
He apologised for his comments. He was accompanied by Home Minister V Anitha, Union Minister of State for Steel and Heavy Industries Bhupathi Raju Srinivasa Varma and Visakhapatnam MP M Sribharath.
Meanwhile, YSRCP accused Lokesh of displaying “arrogance and uttering insensitive” remarks during his visit to console the steel plant victims’ families.
“Lokesh displayed the arrogance of being in power while interacting with trade union leaders when he visited the bereaved families, showing that power has gone to his head,” said YSRCP spokesperson V Narendra in a press release.
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Explosion not due to shortage of workers: Lokesh
Lokesh said the explosion was not caused by a shortage of workers or any operational processing fault. “The accident did not occur due to a shortage of workers in the steel plant. There were no faults in the processing,” read his press release.
While emphasising that RINL utilises the best Russian technology, he said it is not known why the ladle exploded with a loud noise.
The IT Minister promised to take action once a committee submits its report on the disaster and to ensure that accidents of this nature do not recur.
Rejecting the idea that the government would wash its hands of the matter by declaring an ex gratia, the TDP working president assured that the administration would stand by the victims’ families “forever.”
As per the directions of the Union Steel Minister, Lokesh said Rs 25 lakh will be disbursed to eight families of the victims, which will be followed by the remaining ex gratia, provident fund cash and other dues from the steel plant.
Further, Lokesh underlined that Vizag Steel Plant also needs a slurry pipeline and claimed that no trade union leader raised this matter, and said the NDA alliance government will set it up.
Pawan Kalyan announces ex-gratia
Deputy Chief Minister K Pawan Kalyan, who reached the hospital later in the day, told the media persons that Rs 1.72 crore will be given to each of the families of permanent employees of Vizag Steel Plant who lost their lives, and Rs 45.75 lakh to the kin of each lost worker.
జనసేన పార్టీ నిర్మాణ సమాచార సేకరణ కమిటీల నియామకం• కేడర్ ఆధారిత నాయకత్వ వ్యవస్థను మరింత పటిష్ఠం చేయడమే లక్ష్యం• జనసైనికుల నుంచే భవిష్యత్ నాయకత్వాన్ని తీర్చిదిద్దే వినూత్న ప్రక్రియకు శ్రీకారం• క్షేత్రస్థాయి సమాచారాన్ని పరిశీలించి పార్టీ బాధ్యతల కేటాయింపుపై తుది నిర్ణయం• 25… pic.twitter.com/WWkGB3Iknh— JanaSena Party (@JanaSenaParty) June 4, 2026
He said that the families of the deceased workers will receive Rs 50 lakh each, in addition to the entitled terminal benefits. One member from each family will also be given a job at the plant.
He said that Rs 10 lakh will be given to those who were severely injured in the incident, and that all their treatment and medical expenses will be borne by Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd.
He said that the education of the deceased workers’ children will continue as before, and that the victims’ families can continue to stay in the quarters and Steel Plant Township until the date on which the deceased workers/employees would have attained superannuation.
The Deputy CM said that a three-member committee of experts from Bokaro Steel Plant has been commissioned to determine the cause of the incident.
“We need to see whether the management has been following safety protocols and conducting social audits, and whether there has been an oversight from the officials concerned in the state government,” he said.
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