From Sakti to Korba: Why Vedanta's Safety Past Is Back in Focus

More than 48 hours after a boiler tube explosion tore through Vedanta's power plant in Sakti district, Chhattisgarh, the death toll continues to climb.

What happened inside the plant is broadly understood. A tube linked to the boiler gave way, releasing a surge of superheated steam. Workers in the vicinity suffered devastating burns as flames spread through parts of the facility. Some died where they stood. Many others were left critically injured.

The exact death toll remains in dispute. According to Sakti Superintendent of Police Prafulla Thakur, 34 people were pulled out of the site, 16 had died and 20 were injured, some critically. News agency PTI reported the toll at 13 dead and 21 injured, citing police officials. Other reports have put the number as high as 20. Vedanta itself, in a stock exchange filing on Tuesday, said 10 of its subcontractor workers had succumbed to injuries, with 24 affected in total.

The contradictions between official figures, company statements and ground reports have only deepened the anguish for families who cannot confirm whether their relatives are among the dead, the injured or the missing.

Of the 20 injured workers, five have been shifted to Raipur for advanced treatment, while 15 are being treated at hospitals in Raigarh district, according to pplice. Several of the victims were part of a team from NGSL, a contractor hired for refurbishment work, including painting, at the site.

In a statement after the blast, Vedanta Limited Chhattisgarh Thermal Power Plant said, "We regret to inform you that an incident has occurred at the Unit 1 boiler of our plant in Singhitarai in the afternoon of 14 April 2026, involving personnel of our business partner, NGSL."

The company later announced compensation of ₹35 lakh for families of the deceased and ₹15 lakh for the injured.

Messages of condolence followed. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced ₹2 lakh from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund for the next of kin of those who died and ₹50,000 for the injured. Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai declared ₹5 lakh for bereaved families and ₹50,000 for the injured, ordered an inquiry by the Bilaspur division’s Commissioner, and promised strict action if lapses are found.

The Opposition Indian National Congress said this was not enough. It demanded that a police case be registered against the plant’s management and called for a judicial probe, alleging negligence. The party also accused the state government of going soft on those responsible and sought higher compensation for victims’ families.

Beyond One Accident

The attention, however, has widened beyond this single tragedy. Vedanta’s name has surfaced repeatedly over the years in conversations about workplace safety, with fatal incidents recorded across its mining, metals, oil and gas, and power businesses.

Company disclosures show a pattern that is worrisome. Reported workplace deaths rose from seven in FY20 to eight in FY21, 12 in FY22 and 13 in FY23. The number dipped in FY24, only to rise again in FY25, when six workers and one employee died across operations. These incidents were spread across business verticals and locations, suggesting the issue is not isolated to one site.

Industry compilations place Vedanta among firms with the highest fatality counts, alongside Coal India Limited and Larsen & Toubro. Data from BSE50 companies (excluding banking, financial services and IT) show that 33 firms together reported 101 work-related deaths in FY23, down from 211 in FY22. These figures include permanent staff, contract workers and third-party labour. Together, the 33 companies employed roughly 2.9 million people, though some headcounts may not include contract labour.

Of the 101 deaths in FY23, 74 came from eight companies. Coal India (21), Larsen & Toubro (14), Vedanta (13, seven of which were reported by Hindustan Zinc), Tata Steel (seven), Power Grid Corporation (seven), JSW Steel (six) and ONGC (six). These eight firms together employed about 499,000 people.

Vedanta's FY25 annual report also recorded a spike in safety-related grievances. Health and safety complaints more than doubled to 1,363 from 603 a year earlier. Complaints about general working conditions rose to 851 from 702.

Outlook Business has reached out to Vedanta with questions on its safety practices, the recurrence of fatalities, and steps taken to strengthen safeguards. This report will be updated if the company responds.

A Record That Goes Back Years

Questions about safety at Vedanta stretch back more than a decade. A 2010 review of mining companies listed on the London Stock Exchange found that Vedanta Resources, then the group's London-based parent, had disclosed 67 worker deaths, the highest among its peers.

That review examined annual reports and shareholder filings of major miners. In total, 154 work-related deaths were disclosed across the group. Vedanta topped the list, followed by Anglo American (20), Kazakhmys (17) and ENRC (12).

Around the same time, safety awards earlier granted to Vedanta Resources were withdrawn by the British Safety Council after it emerged that a fatal chimney collapse at a subsidiary had not been declared. The incident occurred at a Korba aluminium smelter operated by Bharat Aluminium Company (BALCO) in Chhattisgarh, where about 40 workers died. In the aftermath, three company officials were arrested and charged with culpable homicide. Vedanta attributed the collapse to adverse weather, including rain and thunderstorms.

Conflict Around Projects

Vedanta has also faced criticism linked to deaths around protests and policing near its project sites.

In 2018, police firing on protestors near the Sterlite Copper facility in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, left 14 people dead. Protestors, including many local fishermen, alleged soil and water contamination and opposed the plant’s expansion. The Tamil Nadu government subsequently revoked environmental clearances and ordered the unit shut. It has remained closed since, despite attempts by Vedanta to restart or sell the plant.

In 2019, two people were killed during clashes between tribal residents and security personnel at Vedanta’s alumina refinery in Lanjigarh, Odisha, amid demands for jobs and education for local youth.

The Day After

As rescue efforts continued and families waited for updates, the stock market told a different story. Vedanta's shares closed 1.78% higher at ₹765.90 the day after the explosion. On April 16, the stock touched a new all-time high of ₹787.85 on the NSE, marking its eleventh straight session of gains.

The contrast is difficult to ignore. A rising share price as workers are carried out of a shattered facility. It throws into relief the gap between corporate filings and ground realities, between performance on a screen and lives altered forever.

The state has ordered a probe. The Opposition wants criminal accountability. Families want clarity and dignity. Workers want assurance that safety is not an afterthought.

For Vedanta, the immediate priority is relief and cooperation with investigators. The larger test lies in addressing a safety history that, by its own records and independent tallies, has drawn scrutiny for years across sites and sectors.

The numbers from Sakti may still change as hospitals report and officials verify identities. But the broader questions—about contractor oversight, plant maintenance, disclosure standards, and the culture of safety inside large industrial operations—are already back at the centre of the conversation.