NTPC ash pipeline bursts again in Singrauli, slurry spreads over road and causes long jam

An NTPC ash pipeline burst again at around 4 pm on Thursday on the road linking Vindhyanagar in Singrauli with Sonbhadra district in Uttar Pradesh. The ash and water that came out of the pipeline spread along the road and the surrounding area for more than a kilometre.

Mud and ash covering the road left several vehicles stuck and caused a long traffic jam. Passersby and drivers faced considerable difficulty.

According to local resident Suresh Pandey, the same pipeline had also leaked on Wednesday. With the pipeline bursting again a day later, questions are being raised about how the NTPC management works. Pandey said the pipeline has been in poor condition for a long time, but the management is not getting it maintained regularly. Repeated leaks keep spreading ash and water on the road, he said.

Anil Kumar Vaishya, councillor of Ward No. 38 and a member of the municipal corporation's appellate committee, demanded that the NTPC management carry out a permanent repair of the pipeline. He said the ash pipeline is bursting every few days, damaging roads and disrupting people's movement.

Vaishya also said that instead of only fixing leaks, the management should have the entire pipeline technically inspected. According to him, such incidents can be stopped from recurring if the weak sections are repaired.

An NTPC public relations officer said repair work on the pipeline has been started. Orders for an inquiry into the incident have also been issued.