EXPRESS NEWS S E R V I C E By

ANGUL: PANIC spread in Talcher on Sunday morning when ash slurry leaked out of the pipeline of Talcher Thermal Power Station (TTPS), a unit of NTPC, at Central Colony on Balanda road. Sources said the leakage startedat 6 am and continued till 8 am. It was stopped by TTPS officials who rushed to the spot after a road blockade was staged by locals. However, the cause of leakage is yet to be ascertained. The ash slurry has inundated large parts of the area and damaged a road side hotel. The locals alleged that the pipeline was damaged and failed to resist pressure.

Ten years ago, the officials had set up the 10-km pipeline from its 460 MW power plant to Jagannath Mine to dump its ash slurry into void coal mine. But no maintenance work has been undertaken, they alleged. Public Relations Officer (PRO) of TTPS Samarendra Mallick said as the pressure on the pipeline goes up during rainy season, it might have led to the leakage. The pipeline will be repaired soon. A meeting with local people who staged the road blockade over their demands will be held on Monday or Tuesday, he added.

Environmentalist Bauribandhu Bej expressed concern over repeated leakages in TTPS pipelines demanding high level inquiry into the incident by the State Government.